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We continue our study of exponent semigroups of rational matrices. Our main result is that the matricial dimension of a numerical semigroup is at most its multiplicity (the least generator), greatly improving upon the previous upper bound (the conductor). For many numerical semigroups, including all symmetric numerical semigroups, our upper bound is tight.

Each numerical semigroup $S$ with smallest positive element $m$ corresponds to an integer point in a polyhedral cone $C_m$, known as the Kunz cone. The faces of $C_m$ form a stratification of numerical semigroups that has been shown to respect a number of algebraic properties of $S$, including the combinatorial structure of the minimal free resolution of the defining toric ideal $I_S$. In this work, we prove that the structure of the infinite free resolution of the ground field $\Bbbk$ over the semigroup algebra $\Bbbk[S]$ also respects this stratification, yielding a new combinatorial approach to classifying homological properties like Golodness and rationality of the poincare series in this setting. Additionally, we give a complete classification of such resolutions in the special case $m = 4$, and demonstrate that the associated graded algebras do not generally respect the same stratification.

The Huneke-Wiegand conjecture is a decades-long open question in commutative algebra. Garc\'ia-S\'anchez and Leamer showed that a special case of this conjecture concerning numerical semigroup rings $\Bbbk[\Gamma]$ can be answered in the affirmative by locating certain arithmetic sequences within the numerical semigroup $\Gamma$. In this paper, we use their approach to prove the Huneke-Wiegand conjecture in the case where $\Gamma$ is generated by a generalized arithmetic sequence and showcase how visualizations can be leveraged to find the requisite arithmetic sequences.

Fix $t\in [1,\infty]$. Let $S$ be an atomic commutative semigroup and, for all $x\in S$, let $\mathscr{L}_t(S):=\{\|f\|_t:f\in Z(x)\}$ be the "$t$-length set" of $x$ (using the standard $l_p$-space definition of $\|\cdot\|_t$). The $t$-Delta set of $x$ (denoted $\Delta_t(S)$) is the set of gaps between consecutive elements of $\mathscr{L}_t(S)$; the Delta set of $S$ is then defined by $\bigcup\limits_{x\in S} \Delta_t(S)$. Though all existing literature on this topic considers the $1$-Delta set, recent results on the $t$-elasticity of Numerical Semigroups (Behera et. al.) for $t\neq 1$ have brought attention to other invariants, such as the $t$-Delta set for $t\neq 1$, as well. Here we characterize $\Delta_t(S)$ for all numerical semigroups $\langle a_1,a_2\rangle$ and all $t\in(1,\infty)$ outside a small family of extremal examples. We also determine the cardinality and describe the distribution of that aberrant family.

A numerical semigroup $S$ is an additively-closed set of non-negative integers, and a factorization of an element $n$ of $S$ is an expression of $n$ as a sum of generators of $S$. It is known that for a given numerical semigroup $S$, the number of factorizations of $n$ coincides with a quasipolynomial (that is, a polynomial whose coefficients are periodic functions of $n$). One of the standard methods for computing certain semigroup-theoretic invariants involves assembling a graph or simplicial complex derived from the factorizations of $n$. In this paper, we prove that for two such graphs (which we call the factorization support graph and the trade graph), the number of edges coincides with a quasipolynomial function of $n$, and identify the degree, period, and leading coefficient of each. In the process, we uncover a surprising geometric connection: a combinatorially-assembled cubical complex that is homeomorphic to real projective space.

A numerical semigroup is a cofinite subset of $\mathbb Z_{\ge 0}$ containing $0$ and closed under addition. Each numerical semigroup $S$ with smallest positive element $m$ corresponds to an integer point in the Kunz cone $\mathcal C_m \subseteq \mathbb R^{m-1}$, and the face of $\mathcal C_m$ containing that integer point determines certain algebraic properties of $S$. In this paper, we introduce the Kunz fan, a pure, polyhedral cone complex comprised of a faithful projection of certain faces of $\mathcal C_m$. We characterize several aspects of the Kunz fan in terms of the combinatorics of Kunz nilsemigroups, which are known to index the faces of $\mathcal C_m$, and our results culminate in a method of "walking" the face lattice of the Kunz cone in a manner analogous to that of a Gr\"obner walk. We apply our results in several contexts, including a wealth of computational data obtained from the aforementioned "walks" and a proof of a recent conjecture concerning which numerical semigroups achieve the highest minimal presentation cardinality when one fixes the smallest positive element and the number of generators.

For sufficiently nice families of semigroups and monoids, the structure theorem for sets of length states that the length set of any sufficiently large element is an arithmetic sequence with some values omitted near the ends. In this paper, we prove a specialized version of the structure theorem that holds for any numerical semigroup $S$. Our description utilizes two other numerical semigroups $S_{\mathsf M}$ and $S_{\mathsf m}$, derived from the generators of $S$: for sufficiently large $n \in S$, the Ap\'ery sets of $S_{\mathsf M}$ and $S_{\mathsf m}$ specify precisely which lengths appear in the length set of $n$, and their gaps specify which lengths are "missing". We also provide an explicit bound on which elements satisfy the structure theorem.

Consider the set $M_{a,b} = \{n \in \mathbb Z_{\ge 1} : n \equiv a \bmod b\} \cup \{1\}$ for $a, b \in \mathbb Z_{\ge 1}$. If $a^2 \equiv a \bmod b$, then $M_{a,b}$ is closed under multiplication and known as an arithmetic congruence monoid (ACM). A non-unit $n \in M_{a,b}$ is an atom if it cannot be expressed as a product of non-units, and the atomic density of $M_{a,b}$ is the limiting proportion of elements that are atoms. In this paper, we characterize the atomic density of $M_{a,b}$ in terms of $a$ and $b$.

Numerical semigroups with multiplicity $m$ are parameterized by integer points in a polyhedral cone $C_m$, according to Kunz. For the toric ideal of any such semigroup, the main result here constructs a free resolution whose overall structure is identical for all semigroups parametrized by the relative interior of a fixed face of $C_m$. The matrix entries of this resolution are monomials whose exponents are parametrized by the coordinates of the corresponding point in $C_m$, and minimality of the resolution is achieved when the semigroup is maximal embedding dimension, which is the case parametrized by the interior of $C_m$ itself., Comment: 20 pages

A numerical semigroup is a cofinite subset of the non-negative integers that is closed under addition and contains 0. Each numerical semigroup $S$ with fixed smallest positive element $m$ corresponds to an integer point in a rational polyhedral cone $\mathcal C_m$, called the Kunz cone. Moreover, numerical semigroups corresponding to points in the same face $F \subseteq \mathcal C_m$ are known to share many properties, such as the number of minimal generators. In this work, we classify which faces of $\mathcal C_m$ contain points corresponding to numerical semigroups. Additionally, we obtain sharp bounds on the number of minimal generators of $S$ in terms of the dimension of the face of $\mathcal C_m$ containing the point corresponding to $S$.

We examine two natural operations to create numerical semigroups. We say that a numerical semigroup $\mathcal{S}$ is $k$-normalescent if it is the projection of the set of integer points in a $k$-dimensional polyhedral cone, and we say that $\mathcal{S}$ is a $k$-quotient if it is the quotient of a numerical semigroup with $k$ generators. We prove that all $k$-quotients are $k$-normalescent, and although the converse is false in general, we prove that the projection of the set of integer points in a cone with $k$ extreme rays (possibly lying in a dimension smaller than $k$) is a $k$-quotient. The discrete geometric perspective of studying cones is useful for studying $k$-quotients: in particular, we use it to prove that the sum of a $k_1$-quotient and a $k_2$-quotient is a $(k_1+k_2)$-quotient. In addition, we prove several results about when a numerical semigroup is not $k$-normalescent.

A natural operation on numerical semigroups is taking a quotient by a positive integer. If $\mathcal S$ is a quotient of a numerical semigroup with $k$ generators, we call $\mathcal S$ a $k$-quotient. We give a necessary condition for a given numerical semigroup $\mathcal S$ to be a $k$-quotient, and present, for each $k \ge 3$, the first known family of numerical semigroups that cannot be written as a $k$-quotient. We also examine the probability that a randomly selected numerical semigroup with $k$ generators is a $k$-quotient.

In this paper, we explore affine semigroup versions of the convex geometry theorems of Helly, Tverberg, and Caratheodory. Additionally, we develop a new theory of colored affine semigroups, where the semigroup generators each receive a color and the elements of the semigroup take into account the colors used (the classical theory of affine semigroups coincides with the case in which all generators have the same color). We prove an analog of Tverberg's theorem and colorful Helly's theorem for semigroups, as well as a version of colorful Caratheodory's theorem for cones. We also demonstrate that colored numerical semigroups are particularly rich by introducing a colored version of the Frobenius number.

A numerical semigroup $M$ is a subset of the non-negative integers that is closed under addition. A factorization of $n \in M$ is an expression of $n$ as a sum of generators of $M$, and the Graver basis of $M$ is a collection $Gr(M_t)$ of trades between the generators of $M$ that allows for efficient movement between factorizations. Given positive integers $r_1, \ldots, r_k$, consider the family $M_t = \langle t + r_1, \ldots, t + r_k\rangle$ of "shifted" numerical semigroups whose generators are obtained by translating $r_1, \ldots, r_k$ by an integer parameter $t$. In this paper, we characterize the Graver basis $Gr(M_t)$ of $M_t$ for sufficiently large $t$ in the case $k = 3$, in the form of a recursive construction of $Gr(M_t)$ from that of smaller values of $t$. As a consequence of our result, the number of trades in $Gr(M_t)$, when viewed as a function of $t$, is eventually quasilinear. We also obtain a sharp lower bound on the start of quasilinear behavior.

A numerical set $T$ is a subset of $\mathbb N_0$ that contains $0$ and has finite complement. The atom monoid of $T$ is the set of $x \in \mathbb N_0$ such that $x+T \subseteq T$. Marzuola and Miller introduced the anti-atom problem: how many numerical sets have a given atom monoid? This is equivalent to asking for the number of integer partitions with a given set of hook lengths. We introduce the void poset of a numerical semigroup $S$ and show that numerical sets with atom monoid $S$ are in bijection with certain order ideals of this poset. We use this characterization to answer the anti-atom problem when $S$ has small type.

In this paper, we consider the following question: "given the multiplicity $m$ and embedding dimension $e$ of a numerical semigroup $S$, what can be said about the cardinality $\eta$ of a minimal presentation of $S$?" We approach this question from a combinatorial (poset-theoretic) perspective, utilizing the recently-introduced notion of a Kunz nilsemigroup. In addition to making significant headway on this question beyond what was previously known, in the form of both explicit constructions and general bounds, we provide a self-contained introduction to Kunz nilsemigroups that avoids the polyhedral geometry necessary for much of their source material.

Length density is a recently introduced factorization invariant, assigned to each element $n$ of a cancellative commutative atomic semigroup $S$, that measures how far the set of factorization lengths of $n$ is from being a full interval. We examine length density of elements of numerical semigroups (that is, additive subsemigroups of the non-negative integers).

For numerical semigroups with three generators, we study the asymptotic behavior of weighted factorization lengths, that is, linear functionals of the coefficients in the factorizations of semigroup elements. This work generalizes many previous results, provides more natural and intuitive proofs, and yields a completely explicit error bound., Comment: 18 pages

A mathematics student's first introduction to the fundamental theorem of finite fields (FTFF) often occurs in an advanced abstract algebra course and invokes the power of Galois theory to prove it. Yet the combinatorial and algebraic coding theory applications of finite fields can show up early on for students in STEM. To make the FTFF more accessible to students lacking exposure to Galois theory, we provide a proof from algebraic "first principles."

This paper is the third in a series of manuscripts that examine the combinatorics of the Kunz polyhedron $P_m$, whose positive integer points are in bijection with numerical semigroups (cofinite subsemigroups of $\mathbb Z_{\ge 0}$) whose smallest positive element is $m$. The faces of $P_m$ are indexed by a family of finite posets (called Kunz posets) obtained from the divisibility posets of the numerical semigroups lying on a given face. In this paper, we characterize to what extent the minimal presentation of a numerical semigroup can be recovered from its Kunz poset. In doing so, we prove that all numerical semigroups lying on the interior of a given face of $P_m$ have identical minimal presentation cardinality, and we provide a combinatorial method of obtaining the dimension of a face from its corresponding Kunz poset.

The theory of quantum order-by-disorder (QOBD) explains the formation of modulated magnetic states at the boundary between ferromagnetism and paramagnetism in zero field. PrPtAl has been argued to provide an archetype for this. Here, we report the phase diagram in magnetic field, applied along both the easy $a$-axis and hard $b$-axis. For field aligned to the $b$-axis, we find that the magnetic transition temperatures are suppressed and at low temperature there is a single modulated fan state, separating an easy $a$-axis ferromagnetic state from a field polarised state. This fan state is well explained with the QOBD theory in the presence of anisotropy and field. Experimental evidence supporting the QOBD explanation is provided by the large increase in the $T^2$ coefficient of the resistivity and direct detection of enhanced magnetic fluctuations with inelastic neutron scattering, across the field range spanned by the fan state. This shows that the QOBD mechanism can explain field induced modulated states that persist to very low temperature., Comment: Main text; 6 pages and 4 figures. Supplementary information; 10 pages and 5 figures

Stoichiometric SnTe is theoretically a small gap semiconductor that undergoes a ferroelectric distortion on cooling. In reality however, crystals are always non-stoichiometric and metallic; the ferroelectric transition is therefore more accurately described as a polar structural transition. Here we study the Fermi surface using quantum oscillations as a function of pressure. We find the oscillation spectrum changes at high pressure, due to the suppression of the polar transition and less than 10 kbar is sufficient to stabilize the undistorted cubic lattice. This is accompanied by a large decrease in the Hall and electrical resistivity. Combined with our density functional theory (DFT) calculations and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements this suggests the Fermi surface $L$-pockets have lower mobility than the tubular Fermi surfaces that connect them. Also captured in our DFT calculations is a small widening of the band gap and shift in density of states for the polar phase. Additionally we find the unusual phenomenon of a linear magnetoresistance that exists irrespective of the distortion that we attribute to regions of the Fermi surface with high curvature., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

For a commutative cancellative monoid $M$, we introduce the notion of the length density of both a nonunit $x\in M$, denoted $\mathrm{LD}(x)$, and the entire monoid $M$, denoted $\mathrm{LD}(M)$. This invariant is related to three widely studied invariants in the theory of non-unit factorizations, $L(x)$, $\ell(x)$, and $\rho(x)$. We consider some general properties of $\mathrm{LD}(x)$ and $\mathrm{LD}(M)$ and give a wide variety of examples using numerical semigroups, Puiseux monoids, and Krull monoids. While we give an example of a monoid $M$ with irrational length density, we show that if $M$ is finitely generated, then $\mathrm{LD}(M)$ is rational and there is a nonunit element $x\in M$ with $\mathrm{LD}(M)=\mathrm{LD}(x)$ (such a monoid is said to have accepted length density). While it is well-known that the much studied asymptotic versions of $L(x)$, $\ell (x)$ and $\rho (x)$ (denoted $\overline{L}(x)$, $\overline{\ell}(x)$, and $\overline{\rho} (x)$) always exist, we show the somewhat surprising result that $\overline{\mathrm{LD}}(x) = \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} \mathrm{LD}(x^n)$ may not exist. We also give some finiteness conditions on $M$ that force the existence of $\overline{\mathrm{LD}}(x)$.

An affine semigroup is a finitely generated subsemigroup of $(\mathbb Z_{\ge 0}^d, +)$, and a numerical semigroup is an affine semigroup with $d = 1$. A growing body of recent work examines shifted families of numerical semigroups, that is, families of numerical semigroups of the form $M_n = \langle n + r_1, \ldots, n + r_k \rangle$ for fixed $r_1, \ldots, r_k$, with one semigroup for each value of the shift parameter $n$. It has been shown that within any shifted family of numerical semigroups, the size of any minimal presentation is bounded (in fact, this size is eventually periodic in $n$). In this paper, we consider shifted families of affine semigroups, and demonstrate that some, but not all, shifted families of 4-generated affine semigroups have arbitrarily large minimal presentations.

For numerical semigroups with a specified list of (not necessarily minimal) generators, we describe the asymptotic distribution of factorization lengths with respect to an arbitrary modulus. In particular, we prove that the factorization lengths are equidistributed across all congruence classes that are not trivially ruled out by modular considerations., Comment: 13 pages

We employ the fact certain divided differences can be written as weighted means of B-splines and hence are positive. These divided differences include the complete homogeneous symmetric polynomials of even degree $2p$, the positivity of which is a classical result by D. B. Hunter. We extend Hunter's result to complete homogeneous symmetric polynomials of fractional degree, which are defined via Jacobi's bialternant formula. We show in particular that these polynomials have positive real part for real degrees $\mu$ with $|\mu-2p|< 1/2$. We also prove a positivity criterion for linear combinations of the classical complete homogeneous symmetric polynomials and a sufficient criterion for the positivity of linear combinations of products of such polynomials., Comment: 13 pages

We use the Chicken McNugget monoid to demonstrate various factorization properties related to relations and chains of factorizations. We study in depth the catenary and tame degrees of this monoid.

Several recent papers have examined a rational polyhedron $P_m$ whose integer points are in bijection with the numerical semigroups (cofinite, additively closed subsets of the non-negative integers) containing $m$. A combinatorial description of the faces of $P_m$ was recently introduced, one that can be obtained from the divisibility posets of the numerical semigroups a given face contains. In this paper, we study the faces of $P_m$ containing arithmetical numerical semigroups and those containing certain glued numerical semigroups, as an initial step towards better understanding the full face structure of $P_m$. In most cases, such faces only contain semigroups from these families, yielding a tight connection to the geometry of $P_m$.

Several recent papers have explored families of rational polyhedra whose integer points are in bijection with certain families of numerical semigroups. One such family, first introduced by Kunz, has integer points in bijection with numerical semigroups of fixed multiplicity, and another, introduced by Hellus and Waldi, has integer points corresponding to oversemigroups of numerical semigroups with two generators. In this paper, we provide a combinatorial framework from which to study both families of polyhedra. We introduce a new family of polyhedra called group cones, each constructed from some finite abelian group, from which both of the aforementioned families of polyhedra are directly determined but that are more natural to study from a standpoint of polyhedral geometry. We prove that the faces of group cones are naturally indexed by a family of finite posets, and illustrate how this combinatorial data relates to semigroups living in the corresponding faces of the other two families of polyhedra.

For numerical semigroups with a specified list of (not necessarily minimal) generators, we obtain explicit asymptotic expressions, and in some cases quasipolynomial/quasirational representations, for all major factorization length statistics. This involves a variety of tools that are not standard in the subject, such as algebraic combinatorics (Schur polynomials), probability theory (weak convergence of measures, characteristic functions), and harmonic analysis (Fourier transforms of distributions). We provide instructive examples which demonstrate the power and generality of our techniques. We also highlight unexpected consequences in the theory of homogeneous symmetric functions., Comment: 29 pages

A numerical semigroup is an additive subsemigroup of the non-negative integers. In this paper, we consider parametrized families of numerical semigroups of the form $P_n = \langle f_1(n), \ldots, f_k(n) \rangle$ for polynomial functions $f_i$. We conjecture that for large $n$, the Betti numbers, Frobenius number, genus, and type of $P_n$ each coincide with a quasipolynomial. This conjecture has already been proven in general for Frobenius numbers, and for the remaining quantities in the special case when $P_n = \langle n, n + r_2, \ldots, n + r_k \rangle$. Our main result is to prove our conjecture in the case where each $f_i$ is linear. In the process, we develop the notion of weighted factorization length, and generalize several known results for standard factorization lengths and delta sets to this weighted setting.

A numerical semigroup $S$ is an additive subsemigroup of the non-negative integers, containing zero, with finite complement. Its multiplicity $m$ is its smallest nonzero element. The Apery set of $S$ is the set $\text{Ap}(S) = \{n \in S : n-m \notin S\}$. Fixing a numerical semigroup, we ask how many elements of its Apery set have nonunique factorization, and define several new invariants.

We give an algorithm to determine whether Wilf's conjecture holds for all numerical semigroups with a given multiplicity $m$, and use it to prove Wilf's conjecture holds whenever $m \le 18$. Our algorithm utilizes techniques from polyhedral geometry, and includes a parallelizable algorithm for enumerating the faces of any polyhedral cone up to orbits of an automorphism group. We also introduce a new method of verifying Wilf's conjecture via a combinatorially-flavored game played on the elements of a certain finite poset.

We give a self contained introduction to numerical semigroups, and present several open problems centered on their factorization properties.

We call a (not necessarily planar) embedding of a graph $G$ in the plane \emph{sequential} if its vertices lie in $\mathbb Z^2$ and the line segments between adjacent vertices contain no interior integer points. In this note, we prove (i) a graph $G$ has a sequential embedding if and only if $G$ is 4-colorable, and (ii) if $G$ is planar, then $G$ has a sequential planar embedding.

The authors describe their approach to teaching a course on finite fields and combinatorial applications, including block designs and error-correcting codes, using a hybrid of lectures and active learning. Under the discussed classroom model, there are two lecture days and two discovery-based discussion days each week. Discussions center around group activities that build intuition for abstract concepts while avoiding excessive technical machinery. Teaching this course presents some unique challenges, as much of the content typically appears in a second course in abstract algebra, yet the students exhibit a wide range of mathematical preparation.

A numerical semigroup is a subset of the non-negative integers that is closed under addition. For a randomly generated numerical semigroup, the expected number of minimum generators can be expressed in terms of a doubly-indexed sequence of integers, denoted $h_{n, i}$, that count generating sets with certain properties. We prove a recurrence that implies the sequence $h_{n,i}$ is eventually quasipolynomial when the second parameter is fixed.

An $r$-segment hypergraph $H$ is a hypergraph whose edges consist of $r$ consecutive integer points on line segments in $\mathbb{R}^2$. In this paper, we bound the chromatic number $\chi(H)$ and covering number $\tau(H)$ of hypergraphs in this family, uncovering several interesting geometric properties in the process. We conjecture that for $r \ge 3$, the covering number $\tau(H)$ is at most $(r - 1)\nu(H)$, where $\nu(H)$ denotes the matching number of $H$. We prove our conjecture in the case where $\nu(H) = 1$, and provide improved (in fact, optimal) bounds on $\tau(H)$ for $r \le 5$. We also provide sharp bounds on the chromatic number $\chi(H)$ in terms of $r$, and use them to prove two fractional versions of our conjecture.

A numerical semigroup $S$ is a subset of the non-negative integers containing $0$ that is closed under addition. The Hilbert series of $S$ (a formal power series equal to the sum of terms $t^n$ over all $n \in S$) can be expressed as a rational function in $t$ whose numerator is characterized in terms of the topology of a simplicial complex determined by membership in $S$. In this paper, we obtain analogous rational expressions for the related power series whose coefficient of $t^n$ equals $f(n)$ for one of several semigroup-theoretic invariants $f:S \to \mathbb R$ known to be eventually quasipolynomial.

A numerical semigroup $S$ is an additive subsemigroup of the non-negative integers with finite complement, and the squarefree divisor complex of an element $m \in S$ is a simplicial complex $\Delta_m$ that arises in the study of multigraded Betti numbers. We compute squarefree divisor complexes for certain classes numerical semigroups, and exhibit a new family of simplicial complexes that are occur as the squarefree divisor complex of some numerical semigroup element.