A characterisation of a class of semigroups with locally commuting idempotents (Q5933688)

The authors continue the considerations of \textit{D. B. McAlister} [J. Aust. Math. Soc., Ser. A 39, 63-74 (1985; Zbl 0572.20043)] concerning locally inverse semigroups. The concept of the McAlister sandwich function is used. A semigroup \(T\) is called an enlargement of a semigroup \(S\), if \(S=STS\) and \(T=TST\). A semigroup with local units is a semigroup \(S\) with the property that for each \(s\in S\) there exist idempotents \(e\), \(f\) of \(S\) such that \(es=s=sf\). The main result is the following: Let \(S\) be a semigroup with local units in which each local submonoid has commuting idempotents. Then the following are equivalent: (i) \(S\) has a McAlister sandwich function. (ii) There is a semigroup \(N\) with local units which is an enlargement of both \(S\) and a semigroup with local units \(U\) having commuting idempotents.