Relatively free semigroups of intermediate growth (Q5925842)

The paper is concerned with the growth of finitely generated semigroups, especially of the relatively free semigroups in the variety \(\mathbf B\) of 2-nilpotent semigroups in the sense of Neumann and Taylor. These are semigroups satisfying the identity \(xyzyx=yxzxy\). Let \({\mathcal F}_k\) denote the \(\mathbf B\)-free semigroup of rank \(k\). The main results of the paper are as follows: (1) \({\mathcal F}_2\) has polynomial growth of degree 4, (2) if \(k\geq 3\), then the growth of \({\mathcal F}_k\) is intermediate and certain upper and lower bounds are obtained for the case \(k=3\), (3) for an arbitrary nondecreasing function \(\phi\colon\mathbb{N}\to\mathbb{R}^+\) such that \(\phi(m)<\ln m\) for \(m\geq 1\) and \(\lim_{m\to\infty}\phi(m)=\infty\) there exists a 3-generated semigroup \(S\) in \(\mathbf B\) such that the growths of the functions \(e^{(1/9)\phi(m)\ln m}\) and \(e^{\phi(m)\ln m}\) yield a lower and an upper bound for the growth of \(S\). Certain consequences for the Gelfand-Kirillov superdimension of finitely generated semigroups are given. General results of independent interest concerning the growth rate of nondecreasing functions are obtained.