Density in arbitrary semigroups
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Density in arbitrary semigroups
zbMATH Open document ID: 1111.22004
published in: Semigroup Forum
publication date: 2007-01-26T00:00:00Z
review text: The authors introduce new numerical density invariants for subsets of arbitrary semigroups, extending the usual definitions based on Følner sequences, which are essentially limited to countable left amenable semigroups. They begin their exposition with a discussion of classical density notions for the semigroup \(\mathbb N\) of natural numbers, comparing them with notions of size such as thick, (piecewise) syndetic, \(\Delta\)-set, IP-set, and corresponding dual notions. They show how these notions of size and their mutual relationships extend to an arbitrary semigroup \(S\); the proofs use known equivalent descriptions in terms of the algebraic structure on the Stone-Čech compactification \(\beta S\). Next the upper density based on a Følner sequence in \(S\) is presented, and its limitations are explained: the existence of a Følner sequence implies that \(S\) is left amenable, and together with some weak right cancellation property it implies that \(S\) is countable. After this overview of the state of knowledge the authors introduce three density invariants depending on a given net \({\mathcal F} = \langle F_n\rangle_{n\in D}\) of finite subsets of \(S\); this net replaces the Følner sequence. One of these densities is \(\overline d_{\mathcal F}(A) = \sup \{\alpha:(\forall m \in D)(\exists n\geq m)(| A \cap F_n| \geq \alpha | F_n|)\}\). Various conditions are derived under which these invariants share the nice properties of the older ones. Some of the conditions refer to properties of the net, others are weak cancellation properties of \(S\). It is shown that under such conditions, the density relates nicely to algebraic properties of \(\beta S\), and to the notions of size considered earlier. This approach is carried further for two particular types of nets. One of these is obtained by forming finite products of a given set of generators of \(S\); it yields reasonable notions of density even in some nonamenable semigroups, e.g., in free semigroups. The other spe…
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 22A20
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 20M99
zbMATH DE Number: 5118908
zbMATH Keywords: semigroup
zbMATH Keywords: density measures
zbMATH Keywords: Følner nets
author: Neil Hindman
author: D. Strauss
reviewed by: Rainer Löwen
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: s00233-006-0622-5
OpenAlex ID: W2006718280
DOI: 10.1007/S00233-006-0622-5
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5118908