Reduced Idempotents in the Semigroup of Boolean Matrices

AbstractWe present an algorithm that generates all reduced idempotents in the semigroup of n × n Boolean matrices. As a consequence, we obtain a method of listing all partial order relations on a finite set with n elements

A Groupoid Approach to Discrete Inverse Semigroup Algebras

Let $K$ be a commutative ring with unit and $S$ an inverse semigroup. We show that the semigroup algebra $KS$ can be described as a convolution algebra of functions on the universal \'etale groupoid associated to $S$ by Paterson. This result is a simultaneous generalization of the author's earlier work on finite inverse semigroups and Paterson's theorem for the universal $C^*$-algebra. It provides a convenient topological framework for understanding the structure of $KS$, including the center and when it has a unit. In this theory, the role of Gelfand duality is replaced by Stone duality. Using this approach we are able to construct the finite dimensional irreducible representations of an inverse semigroup over an arbitrary field as induced representations from associated groups, generalizing the well-studied case of an inverse semigroup with finitely many idempotents. More generally, we describe the irreducible representations of an inverse semigroup $S$ that can be induced from associated groups as precisely those satisfying a certain "finiteness condition". This "finiteness condition" is satisfied, for instance, by all representations of an inverse semigroup whose image contains a primitive idempotent

Semigroups, rings, and Markov chains

We analyze random walks on a class of semigroups called ``left-regular bands''. These walks include the hyperplane chamber walks of Bidigare, Hanlon, and Rockmore. Using methods of ring theory, we show that the transition matrices are diagonalizable and we calculate the eigenvalues and multiplicities. The methods lead to explicit formulas for the projections onto the eigenspaces. As examples of these semigroup walks, we construct a random walk on the maximal chains of any distributive lattice, as well as two random walks associated with any matroid. The examples include a q-analogue of the Tsetlin library. The multiplicities of the eigenvalues in the matroid walks are ``generalized derangement numbers'', which may be of independent interest.Comment: To appear in J. Theoret. Proba

On the representation theory of finite J-trivial monoids

In 1979, Norton showed that the representation theory of the 0-Hecke algebra admits a rich combinatorial description. Her constructions rely heavily on some triangularity property of the product, but do not use explicitly that the 0-Hecke algebra is a monoid algebra. The thesis of this paper is that considering the general setting of monoids admitting such a triangularity, namely J-trivial monoids, sheds further light on the topic. This is a step to use representation theory to automatically extract combinatorial structures from (monoid) algebras, often in the form of posets and lattices, both from a theoretical and computational point of view, and with an implementation in Sage. Motivated by ongoing work on related monoids associated to Coxeter systems, and building on well-known results in the semi-group community (such as the description of the simple modules or the radical), we describe how most of the data associated to the representation theory (Cartan matrix, quiver) of the algebra of any J-trivial monoid M can be expressed combinatorially by counting appropriate elements in M itself. As a consequence, this data does not depend on the ground field and can be calculated in O(n^2), if not O(nm), where n=|M| and m is the number of generators. Along the way, we construct a triangular decomposition of the identity into orthogonal idempotents, using the usual M\"obius inversion formula in the semi-simple quotient (a lattice), followed by an algorithmic lifting step. Applying our results to the 0-Hecke algebra (in all finite types), we recover previously known results and additionally provide an explicit labeling of the edges of the quiver. We further explore special classes of J-trivial monoids, and in particular monoids of order preserving regressive functions on a poset, generalizing known results on the monoids of nondecreasing parking functions.Comment: 41 pages; 4 figures; added Section 3.7.4 in version 2; incorporated comments by referee in version

The biHecke monoid of a finite Coxeter group and its representations

For any finite Coxeter group W, we introduce two new objects: its cutting poset and its biHecke monoid. The cutting poset, constructed using a generalization of the notion of blocks in permutation matrices, almost forms a lattice on W. The construction of the biHecke monoid relies on the usual combinatorial model for the 0-Hecke algebra H_0(W), that is, for the symmetric group, the algebra (or monoid) generated by the elementary bubble sort operators. The authors previously introduced the Hecke group algebra, constructed as the algebra generated simultaneously by the bubble sort and antisort operators, and described its representation theory. In this paper, we consider instead the monoid generated by these operators. We prove that it admits |W| simple and projective modules. In order to construct the simple modules, we introduce for each w in W a combinatorial module T_w whose support is the interval [1,w]_R in right weak order. This module yields an algebra, whose representation theory generalizes that of the Hecke group algebra, with the combinatorics of descents replaced by that of blocks and of the cutting poset.Comment: v2: Added complete description of the rank 2 case (Section 7.3) and improved proof of Proposition 7.5. v3: Final version (typo fixes, picture improvements) 66 pages, 9 figures Algebra and Number Theory, 2013. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1108.4379 by other author