Multiplicative structure of \(2\times 2\) tropical matrices (Q550662)

In this important paper, the authors initiate a systematic study of the multiplicative semigroup of \(n\)-by-\(n\) matrices over the tropical semiring \(({\mathbb{R}}\cup\{-\infty\},\max,+)\), starting with \(n=2\). In particular, it is shown that the Green's \(\leq_{\mathcal{R}}\) relation (i.e., the inclusion of principal right ideals) on the tropical \(2\)-by-\(2\) matrices is an order-preserving, bijective correspondence between closed (possibly degenerated) intervals of \(\hat{\mathbb{R}} = {\mathbb{R}}\cup\{-\infty,\infty\}\), ordered by inclusion. The correspondence is given by projectivization of the column space of a matrix. The same holds for the \(\leq_{\mathcal{L}}\) relation (inclusion of principal left ideals), which reduces to previous case by transposition. It then follows that there are exactly \(8\) different non-isomorphic types of the corresponding \({\mathcal{R}}\) or \({\mathcal{L}}\) equivalence classes which are also listed. A similar classification is done for the \(\leq_{\mathcal{J}}\) relation (the inclusion of principal two-sided ideals) and the \({\mathcal{D}}\) equivalence (join of equivalence relation \({\mathcal{R}}\) and \({\mathcal{L}}\)). In fact, it is shown that the equivalence relations \({\mathcal{J}}\) and \({\mathcal{D}}\) coincide on the tropical \(2\)-by-\(2\) matrices, and that the \(\leq_{\mathcal{J}}\) relation is an order-preserving, bijective correspondence between closed intervals of \(\hat{\mathbb{R}}\), partially ordered by length (\([-\infty,\infty]\) is exceptional). Again, the correspondence is given by the length of an interval, obtained from projectivization of column space of a matrix. General (possibly non principal) two sided ideals are related to open/closed subintervals of \(\hat{\mathbb{R}}\). It is shown, as a corollary, that they are totally ordered under set-inclusion, that every finitely generated two-sided ideal is principal, and every nonprincipal is a principal ideal subtracted by the \({\mathcal{J}}\)-equivalence class of its generator. The obtained information enables the authors to show that the semigroup of \(2\)-by-\(2\) tropical matrices is von Neumann regular because each among the \(8\) types of \({\mathcal{R}}\) equivalence classes contains an idempotent. Moreover, they also classify which \({\mathcal{H}}={\mathcal{R}}\cap{\mathcal{D}}\) equivalence classes contain an idempotent (and hence are maximal subgroups) and list all maximal subgroups. It turns out there are exactly four of them: the trivial, the additive group of real numbers \(\mathbb{R}\), \({\mathbb{R}} \times S_2\) and the wreath product \({\mathbb{R}} \wr S_2\).