Decomposition of semigroup algebras

Let A \subseteq B be cancellative abelian semigroups, and let R be an integral domain. We show that the semigroup ring R[B] can be decomposed, as an R[A]-module, into a direct sum of R[A]-submodules of the quotient ring of R[A]. In the case of a finite extension of positive affine semigroup rings we obtain an algorithm computing the decomposition. When R[A] is a polynomial ring over a field we explain how to compute many ring-theoretic properties of R[B] in terms of this decomposition. In particular we obtain a fast algorithm to compute the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of homogeneous semigroup rings. As an application we confirm the Eisenbud-Goto conjecture in a range of new cases. Our algorithms are implemented in the Macaulay2 package MonomialAlgebras.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, minor revisions. Package may be downloaded at http://www.math.uni-sb.de/ag/schreyer/jb/Macaulay2/MonomialAlgebras/html

Bianchi spaces and their 3-dimensional isometries as S-expansions of 2-dimensional isometries

In this paper we show that some 3-dimensional isometry algebras, specifically those of type I, II, III and V (according Bianchi's classification), can be obtained as expansions of the isometries in 2 dimensions. It is shown that in general more than one semigroup will lead to the same result. It is impossible to obtain the algebras of type IV, VI-IX as an expansion from the isometry algebras in 2 dimensions. This means that the first set of algebras has properties that can be obtained from isometries in 2 dimensions while the second set has properties that are in some sense intrinsic in 3 dimensions. All the results are checked with computer programs. This procedure can be generalized to higher dimensions, which could be useful for diverse physical applications.Comment: 23 pages, one of the authors is new, title corrected, finite semigroup programming is added, the semigroup construction procedure is checked by computer programs, references to semigroup programming are added, last section is extended, appendix added, discussion of all the types of Bianchi spaces is include

Nuclear dimension and Z-stability of non-simple C*-algebras

We investigate the interplay of the following regularity properties for non-simple C*-algebras: finite nuclear dimension, Z-stability, and algebraic regularity in the Cuntz semigroup. We show that finite nuclear dimension implies algebraic regularity in the Cuntz semigroup, provided that known type I obstructions are avoided. We demonstrate how finite nuclear dimension can be used to study the structure of the central sequence algebra, by factorizing the identity map on the central sequence algebra, in a manner resembling the factorization arising in the definition of nuclear dimension. Results about the central sequence algebra are used to attack the conjecture that finite nuclear dimension implies Z-stability, for sufficiently non-type I, separable C*-algebras. We prove this conjecture in the following cases: (i) the C*-algebra has no purely infinite subquotients and its primitive ideal space has a basis of compact open sets, (ii) the C*-algebra has no purely infinite quotients and its primitive ideal space is Hausdorff. In particular, this covers C*-algebras with finite decomposition rank and real rank zero. Our results hold more generally for C*-algebras with locally finite nuclear dimension which are (M,N)-pure (a regularity condition of the Cuntz semigroup).Comment: Rewrote abstract and introduction. Added a couple of results. Main results unchange