Some remarks on the compressed zero-divisor graph (Q897765)

Let \(R\) be a commutative ring with \(1\neq 0.\) The zero-divisor graph \(\Gamma(R)\) of \(R\) is the (undirected) graph with vertices the nonzero zero-divisors of \(R\), and distinct vertices \(r\) and \(s\) are adjacent if and only if \(rs=0.\) The relation on \(R\) given by \(r\sim s\) if and only if \(\mathrm{ann}_R(r)=\mathrm{ann}_R(s)\) is an equivalence relation. The compressed zero-divisor graph \(\Gamma_E(R)\) of \(R\) is the (undirected) graph with vertices the equivalence classes induced by \(\sim\) other than \([0]\) and \([1]\), and distinct vertices \([r]\) and \([s]\) are adjacent if and only if \(rs=0.\) Let \(R_E\) be the set of equivalence classes for \(\sim\) on \(R.\) Then \(R_E\) is a commutative monoid with multiplication \([r][s]=[rs].\) The notion of the compressed zero-divisor graph \(\Gamma_E(R)\) was first defined by \textit{S. B. Mulay} [Commun. Algebra 30, No. 7, 3533--3558 (2002; Zbl 1087.13500)], where it was noted in passing that several graph-theoretic properties of the zero-divisor graph \(\Gamma(R)\) valid for \(\Gamma_E(R).\) However, \(\Gamma_E(R)\), unlike \(\Gamma(R)\) may be finite when \(R\) is infinite and not an integral domain [\textit{D. F. Anderson} and \textit{J. D. LaGrange}, J. Pure Appl. Algebra 216, No. 7, 1626--1636 (2012; Zbl 1254.13003), Theorem 1.1]. Several authors have studied the compressed zero-divisor graph explicitly. In this paper, the authors continue their study of the monoid \(R_E\) and the compressed zero-divisor graph \(\Gamma_E(R)\). In particular, they consider several equivalence relations on \(R\) and their corresponding graph-theoretic translations to \(\Gamma(R).\) They also show that the girth of \(\Gamma_E(R)\) is three if it contains a cycle and determine the structure of \(\Gamma_E(R)\) when it is acyclic and the monoids \(R_E\) when \(\Gamma_E(R)\) is a star graph.