The Commuting Graph of the Symmetric Inverse Semigroup

TL;DR

This paper explores the structure of the commuting graph of the symmetric inverse semigroup, calculating its clique number and diameters for various cases, and provides new insights into commutative subsemigroups.

Contribution

It introduces the first detailed analysis of the commuting graph of the symmetric inverse semigroup, including clique number and diameter calculations for different set sizes.

Findings

Clique number of the commuting graph of i(X) determined.

Diameters of commuting graphs for proper ideals characterized.

When |X| is odd and divisible by at least two primes, diameter is 4 or 5.

Abstract

The commuting graph of a finite non-commutative semigroup $S$, denoted $\cg(S)$, is a simple graph whose vertices are the non-central elements of $S$ and two distinct vertices $x,y$ are adjacent if $xy=yx$. Let $\mi(X)$ be the symmetric inverse semigroup of partial injective transformations on a finite set $X$. The semigroup $\mi(X)$ has the symmetric group $\sym(X)$ of permutations on $X$ as its group of units. In 1989, Burns and Goldsmith determined the clique number of the commuting graph of $\sym(X)$. In 2008, Iranmanesh and Jafarzadeh found an upper bound of the diameter of $\cg(\sym(X))$, and in 2011, Dol\u{z}an and Oblak claimed (but their proof has a GAP) that this upper bound is in fact the exact value. The goal of this paper is to begin the study of the commuting graph of the symmetric inverse semigroup $\mi(X)$. We calculate the clique number of $\cg(\mi(X))$, the diameters of the commuting graphs of the proper ideals of $\mi(X)$, and the diameter of $\cg(\mi(X))$ when $|X|$ is even or a power of an odd prime. We show that when $|X|$ is odd and divisible by at least two primes, then the diameter of $\cg(\mi(X))$ is either 4 or 5. In the process, we obtain several results about semigroups, such as a description of all commutative subsemigroups of $\mi(X)$ of maximum order, and analogous results for commutative inverse and commutative nilpotent subsemigroups of $\mi(X)$. The paper closes with a number of problems for experts in combinatorics and in group or semigroup theory.