On the Dehn functions of a class of monadic one-relation monoids (Q6607439)

Let \(A^{\ast}\) be the free monoid over an alphabet \(A\), \(u,v \in A^{\ast}\) and let \(M=\mathrm{Mon} \langle A \mid u=v\rangle\) be a one-relation monoid. The word problem for such \(M\) asks for a decision procedure which, given two words \(w_{1}, w_{2} \in A^{\ast}\), decides whether \((w_{1}, w_{2})\) lies in the above congruence or not. Despite numerous efforts, the word problem for one-relation monoids in general remains open. \textit{S. I. Adian} [Steklov Inst. Math. 85, 152 p. (1966; Zbl 0204.01702); translation from Tr. Mat. Inst. Steklov 85, 123 p. (1966)] solved the word problem in two important cases: first, whenever the relation is of the form \(u=1\) (the special case), and second, whenever the relation \(u=v\) satisfies that the first letters of \(u\) and \(v\) differ and the last letters of \(u\) and \(v\) differ (the cycle-free or cancellative case).\N\NIn the paper under review, the author gives an infinite family of monoids \(\Pi_{N}\) (for \(N = 2,3, \ldots\)), each with a single defining relation of the form \(bUa=a\), such that the Dehn function of \(\Pi_{N}\) is at least exponential. More specifically, he proves Theorem 1: For every \(N \geq 2\), the Dehn function \(\partial_{N}\) of the one-relation monoid \(\Pi_{N}=\mathrm{Mon}\langle a,b \mid aa(ba)^{N} \rangle\) satisfies \(\partial_{N}(n) \succeq N^{n/4}\), i.e. the Dehn function of \(\Pi_{N}\) is at least exponential.\N\NFurthermore, using the decidability of the rational subset membership problem in the metabelian Baumslag-Solitar groups \(\mathrm{BS}(1,n)\) for all \(n\geq 2\), proved by \textit{M. Cadilhac} et al. [``Rational subsets of Baumslag-Solitar groups'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:2006.11898}], he shows that each \(\Pi_{N}\) has decidable word problem.