Exact flat acts over monoids (Q6879564)

In the theory of modules over rings, a module \(M_R\) is called flat if the tensor functor \(M_R\otimes -\) preserves \(R\)-monomorphisms, equivalently, it preserves short exact sequences. This property does not hold in the category of acts over monoids. In this nice paper, the authors introduce the concept of exact flatness for right \(S\)-acts, defined by the exactness of the tensor functor \(A_S\otimes -\). Exact flatness is stronger than classical flatness and the author characterize exact flat acts as those that are both flat and indecomposable (see Theorem 3.2). The authors further show that if \(A_S \stackrel{f}{\to}B_S \stackrel{f}{\to}C_S\) is a left split Rees short exact sequence and both \(A_S\) and \(B_S\) are exact flat, then so is \(B_S\). They also provide two homological characterizations about when all exact flat right \(S\)-acts are strongly flat or regular.