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First page of Global Product Intersection Sets in Semigroups

Global Product Intersection Sets in Semigroups

Wouter van Doorn, Pietro Monticone, Quanyu Tang

math.CO Apr 20, 2026 · v1
Both classifications of product intersection sets in semigroups were autonomously discovered and formally verified in Lean by Harmonic's Aristotle agent.
For a family $(A_q)_{q\in Q}$ of subsets of a semigroup, the product intersection set records those exponents $h \in \mathbb{N}$ for which the $h$-fold product set of the intersection, $(\bigcap_q A_q)^h$, is equal to $\bigcap_q A_q^h$, the intersection of the product sets. Nathanson recently asked which subsets of $\mathbb{N}$ can occur as a product intersection set, both for arbitrary and for decreasing families $(A_q)_{q\in Q}$. We solve both problems by giving a complete classification. In particular, when $|Q| \ge 2$, we show that in either case any subset $X \subseteq \mathbb{N}$ with $1 \in X$ occurs as a product intersection set. Both classifications were autonomously discovered and formally verified in Lean by Aristotle, a formal reasoning agent developed by Harmonic.

Nathanson asked which subsets of the natural numbers can occur as a product intersection set for families of subsets of a semigroup, both for arbitrary and for decreasing families.

The authors give a complete classification of product intersection sets. The constructions and proofs were autonomously discovered and formally verified in Lean by Aristotle, a formal reasoning agent developed by Harmonic.

When |Q| >= 2, any subset X of the natural numbers with 1 in X occurs as a product intersection set, for both arbitrary and decreasing families. Both classifications are machine-verified in Lean.