Context-freeness of the languages of Schützenberger automata of HNN-extensions of finite inverse semigroups

We prove that the Schützenberger graph of any element of the HNN-extension of a finite inverse semigroup S with respect to its standard presentation is a context-free graph in the sense of [11], showing that the language L recognized by this automaton is context-free. Finally we explicitly construct the grammar generating L, and from this fact we show that the word problem for an HNN-extension of a finite inverse semigroup S is decidable and lies in the complexity class of polynomial time problems

Semigroup and category-theoretic approaches to partial symmetry

This thesis is about trying to understand various aspects of partial symmetry using ideas from semigroup and category theory. In Chapter 2 it is shown that the left Rees monoids underlying self-similar group actions are precisely monoid HNN-extensions. In particular it is shown that every group HNN-extension arises from a self-similar group action. Examples of these monoids are constructed from fractals. These ideas are generalised in Chapter 3 to a correspondence between left Rees categories, selfsimilar groupoid actions and category HNN-extensions of groupoids, leading to a deeper relationship with Bass-Serre theory. In Chapter 4 of this thesis a functor K between the category of orthogonally complete inverse semigroups and the category of abelian groups is constructed in two ways, one in terms of idempotent matrices and the other in terms of modules over inverse semigroups, and these are shown to be equivalent. It is found that the K-group of a Cuntz-Krieger semigroup of a directed graph G is isomorphic to the operator K0-group of the Cuntz-Krieger algebra of G and the K-group of a Boolean algebra is isomorphic to the topological K0-group of the corresponding Boolean space under Stone dualit

A correspondence between a class of monoids and self-similar group actions II

The first author showed in a previous paper that there is a correspondence between self-similar group actions and a class of left cancellative monoids called left Rees monoids. These monoids can be constructed either directly from the action using Zappa-Sz\'ep products, a construction that ultimately goes back to Perrot, or as left cancellative tensor monoids from the covering bimodule, utilizing a construction due to Nekrashevych, In this paper, we generalize the tensor monoid construction to arbitrary bimodules. We call the monoids that arise in this way Levi monoids and show that they are precisely the equidivisible monoids equipped with length functions. Left Rees monoids are then just the left cancellative Levi monoids. We single out the class of irreducible Levi monoids and prove that they are determined by an isomorphism between two divisors of its group of units. The irreducible Rees monoids are thereby shown to be determined by a partial automorphism of their group of units; this result turns out to be signficant since it connects irreducible Rees monoids directly with HNN extensions. In fact, the universal group of an irreducible Rees monoid is an HNN extension of the group of units by a single stable letter and every such HNN extension arises in this way.Comment: Some very minor corrections made and the dedication adde