On the cardinality of minimal presentations of numerical semigroups

Abstract

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.