Reaching the minimum ideal in a finite semigroup

Abstract

We introduce the depth parameters of a finite semigroup, which measure how hard it is to produce an element in the minimum ideal when we consider generating sets satisfying some minimality conditions. We estimate such parameters for some families of finite semigroups, and we obtain an upper bound for wreath products and direct products of two finite (transformation) monoids. Keywords: semigroup, generating set, minimum ideal, A-depth of a semigroup