A new construction for free inverse semigroups. (Q555754)

Let \(X\) and \(X^{-1}\) be disjoint sets, \(X\to X^{-1}\), \(x\to x^{-1}\) a bijection, and \(Y=X\cup X^{-1}\). The free monoid \({\mathcal F}^1\) on \(Y\) is turned into the free involuted monoid on \(X\) by considering an additional unary operation. If \(\sim\) is the least inverse semigroup congruence on \({\mathcal F}^1\) then \({\mathcal F}^1/\!\sim\) is a model of the free inverse semigroup on \(X\). An algorithm is given which finds for every \(w\in{\mathcal F}^1\) a shortest word on \(Y\) in the \(\sim\)-class of \(w\). Words which are the shortest in their \(\sim\)-class are characterized abstractly and are called canonical words. Canonical words which represent idempotents are called canonical idempotents. The set of all canonical idempotents is constructed recursively and a transparent test is given which determines whether given canonical idempotents are \(\sim\)-related. A word on \(Y\) is said to be reduced if it does not contain a subword of the form \(xx^{-1}\) or \(x^{-1}x\). It is shown that every canonical word has a canonical decomposition of the form \(u_0e_1u_1\cdots e_mu_m\). Here \(u_0,\dots,u_m\) are words on \(Y\), with \(u_1,\dots,u_{m-1}\) nonempty, \(u_0u_1\cdots u_m\) is a reduced word, and \(e_1,\dots,e_m\) are nonempty canonical idempotents, subject to some further conditions. If \(w_1\) and \(w_2\) are canonical with canonical decompositions \(w_1=u_0e_1u_1\cdots e_mu_m\) and \(w_2=v_0f_1v_1\cdots f_nv_n\), then \(w_1\sim w_2\) if and only if \(m=n\), \(u_i=v_i\) and \(e_j\sim f_j\) for all \(i\) and \(j\). The solution of the word problem thus obtained is used to give a description of the Green relations and the natural partial order on \({\mathcal F}^1/\!\sim\). The authors investigate the birooted tree representing a given canonical word, describe free Clifford inverse semigroups and free monogenic inverse semigroups.