Lattice isomorphisms of completely 0-simple semigroups (Q5930168)

A lattice isomorphism between two semigroups is an isomorphism between their subsemigroup lattices; a semigroup \(S\) is said to be lattice-determined if whenever there is a lattice isomorphism between \(S\) and a semigroup \(T\) then \(S\) and \(T\) are isomorphic, and is strictly lattice-determined if there is an isomorphism between \(S\) and \(T\) that induces the lattice isomorphism. At first sight one might guess that the theory of lattice isomorphisms of completely 0-simple semigroups would reduce to that of groups (considered as semigroups). However, that is very far from being the case. For completely 0-simple semigroups without zero divisors, the theory essentially becomes that of completely simple semigroups, which have been treated elsewhere (see \textit{L. N. Shevrin} and the author [Semigroups and their subsemigroup lattices, Kluwer, Dordrecht (1996; Zbl 0858.20054)]). Turning to completely 0-simple semigroups with zero divisors, the author's first main theorem is that every such semigroup that has trivial subgroups is strictly lattice determined. (The author points out that a prior proof of this statement was quite incomplete.) This sets up a framework for the general case. Various sufficient conditions are found for such a semigroup to be (strictly) lattice-determined. For example this is proved to be true if a maximal subgroup can be generated by a set of elements each of order either 2 or infinity. It is also proved true for any Brandt semigroup (inverse, completely 0-simple semigroup) with more than three idempotents. Whether every completely 0-simple semigroup with zero divisors is lattice determined is still unknown. Rather remarkably, it is even unknown for Brandt semigroups with exactly three idempotents.