Groups that together with any transformation generate regular semigroups or idempotent generated semigroups. (Q661898)

Let \(X\) be a finite set and \(G\) a permutation group on \(X\). Given a non-invertible transformation \(a\) on \(X\), let \(S\) be the semigroup generated by \(G\) and \(a\) and \(T\) be the semigroup generated by all \(G\)-conjugates of \(a\). In the first result of this paper the authors classify all \(G\) which have the property that for all \(a\) the semigroups \(S\), \(T\) and \(S\setminus G\) are regular. The list of such groups is short and consists of the symmetric and alternating groups (for any \(X\)) together with three exceptions: \(\mathrm{AGL}(1,5)\), \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,5)\) and \(\mathrm{PGL}(2,5)\). In the second result of this paper the authors classify all \(G\) which have the property that for all \(a\) the semigroups \(S\), \(T\) and \(S\setminus G\) are generated by their idempotents. The list again consists of the symmetric and alternating groups (for any \(X\)) together with nine exceptions for the cases \(|X|=5\), \(6\), \(7\), \(8\), \(9\).