Semigroups with zero whose idempotents form a subsemigroup

Abstract

The structure of a categorical, E*-dense, E*-unitary E-semigroup S is elucidated in terms of a ‘B-quiver’, where B is a primitive inverse semigroup. In the case where S is strongly categorical, B is a Brandt semigroup. A covering theorem is also proved, to the effect that every categorical E*-dense E-semigroup has a cover which is a categorical, E*-dense, E*-unitary E-semigroup.