Inverse subsemigroups of finite index in finitely generated inverse semigroups

Abstract: The index of a subgroup of a group counts the number of cosets of that subgroup. A subgroup of finite index often shares structural properties with the group, and the existence of a subgroup of finite index with some particular property can therefore imply useful structural information for the overgroup. A developed theory of cosets in inverse semigroups exists, originally due to Schein: it is defined only for closed inverse subsemigroups, and the structural correspondences between an inverse semigroup and a closed inverse subsemigroup of finite index are weaker than in the group case. Nevertheless, many aspects of this theory are of interest, and some of them are addressed in this paper. We study the basic theory of cosets in inverse semigroups, including an index formula for chains of subgroups and an analogue of M. Hall's Theorem on counting subgroups of finite index in finitely generated groups. We then look in detail at the connection between the following properties of a closed inverse submonoid of an inverse monoid: having finite index; being a recognisable subset; being a rational subset; being finitely generated (as a closed inverse submonoid). A remarkable result of Margolis and Meakin shows that these properties are equivalent for closed inverse submonoids of free inverse monoids.

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Let $S$ be an inverse semigroup. A subset $A\subseteq S$ is called \textit{closed} if for any $a\in A$ and $s\ge a$ one has $s\in A$. The \textit{closure} of $B\subseteq S$ is the set $B^\uparrow=\{s\in S\mid \exists b\in B: s\ge b\}$. A subset $L\subseteq S$ is said to be \textit{full} whenever $E(S)\subseteq L$. An \textit{atlas} in $S$ is a subset $A\subseteq S$ such that $AA^{-1}A=A$. A \textit{coset} in $S$ is a closed atlas. \par It was proved by \textit{B. M. Schein} [Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Mat. 1962, No. 3(28), 164--176 (1962; Zbl 0228.20062)] that $C\subseteq S$ is a coset if and only if there exists a closed inverse subsemigroup $L$ of $S$ such that for all $s\in C$ one has $ss^{-1}\in L$ and $C=(Ls)^\uparrow$. In this case one says that $C$ is a \textit{right coset} of $L$. If $C$ is a right coset of $L$, then it is shown that $L=(CC^{-1})^\uparrow$. There is also an equivalent characterization of $C$ as a left coset of some closed inverse subsemigroup $K$ of $S$. \par The union of all the (right) cosets of a closed inverse subsemigroup $L$ of $S$ may not coincide with $S$. More precisely, this holds if and only if $L$ is full. The closed inverse subsemigroups $L$ of $S$ whose union of right cosets is a closed inverse subsemigroup of $S$ are also described. \par The \textit{index} $[S:L]$ of a closed inverse subsemigroup $L$ of $S$ is the cardinality of the set of right cosets of $L$. It coincides with the cardinality of the set of left cosets of $L$. If $K$ and $H$ are closed inverse subsemigroups of $S$ such that $K\subseteq H$ and $K$ is full in $S$, then $[S:K]=[S:H][H:K]$. Observe that $S$ is $E$-unitary if and only if $E(S)$ is closed. In this case $[S:E(S)]$ coincides with the cardinality of the maximum group image of $S$. \par One of the main results of the work is the following theorem: a finitely generated inverse semigroup can have only a finite number of closed inverse subsemigroups of a fixed finite index. Another important fact is that a closed inverse submonoid $L$ of finite index in a finitely generated inverse monoid $M$ is finitely generated. Such inverse submonoids $L$ are also characterized as recognizable subsets of $M$.

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