The power exponent of a pseudovariety (Q5953372)

For any semigroup \(S\), its power semigroup \(P(S)\) is the set of all subsets of \(S\) endowed with the multiplication \(A\cdot B=\{ab\mid a\in A,\;b\in B\}\), and for any pseudovariety \(\mathbf V\) of finite semigroups, \({\mathcal P}{\mathbf V}\) denotes the pseudovariety generated by the power semigroups \(P(S)\) with \(S\in{\mathbf V}\). \textit{J. Almeida} [Semigroup Forum 33, 375-390 (1986; Zbl 0588.20034)] has shown that in the case when \(\mathbf V\) satisfies no permutation identity, the pseudovariety \({\mathcal P}^3{\mathbf V}\) obtained by three successive applications of the power operator \(\mathcal P\) coincides with the pseudovariety \(\mathbf S\) of all finite semigroups. The power exponent of a non-permutative pseudovariety \(\mathbf V\) is the least integer \(n\) such that \({\mathcal P}^n{\mathbf V}={\mathbf S}\); thus, for a proper pseudovariety \({\mathbf V}\subset{\mathbf S}\), the power exponent may be equal to 1, 2 or 3. \textit{S. W. Margolis} [Semigroup Forum 22, 339-354 (1981; Zbl 0516.20038)] has proved that \(\mathbf V\) has exponent 1 if and only if \(\mathbf V\) is not contained in the pseudovariety \(\mathbf{DS}\) of all finite semigroups whose regular \(\mathcal D\)-classes form subsemigroups. The present paper completes the classification of pseudovarieties with respect to their power exponent providing a characterization of pseudovarieties of exponent 3. The characterization is given in terms of both pseudoidentities and `forbidden' semigroups; the proofs require a careful analysis of certain subpseudovarieties of the pseudovariety \(\mathbf{DS}\).