Topological properties of some algebraically defined subsets of \(\beta \mathbb{N}\) (Q517116)

Let \(\beta\mathbb N\) denote the Stone-Čech compactification of the space \(\mathbb N\) of positive integers. The authors study properties of the right topological semigroups \((\beta\mathbb N,+)\) and \((\beta\mathbb N, \cdot)\), where the operations are extensions of the operations in the semigroups \((\mathbb N,+)\) and \((\mathbb N,\cdot)\). It is proved that the set \(E(\beta\mathbb N,+)\) of additive idempotents of \(\beta\mathbb N\) is disjoint from the closure of the set of multiplicative idempotents of \(\beta\mathbb N\). It is also investigated which subsets of \(\beta\mathbb N\) are (not) Borel. It is shown that the sets \(E(\beta\mathbb N,+)\), \((\beta\mathbb N \setminus \mathbb N) + (\beta\mathbb N \setminus \mathbb N)\), \(K(\beta\mathbb N,+)\), the smallest two sided ideal of \((\beta\mathbb N,+)\), and the set of idempotents of any left ideal of \((\beta\mathbb N,+)\) are not Borel. The last results are extended to countably infinite semigroups which can be algebraically embedded in a compact Hausdorff topological group.