Cevap Evet. Varsayalım ki bir çarpanlara ayırmamız Q = A ⋅ B'dirQ=A⋅B .
Kolay bir gözlem, AA ve B'ninB ayrık olması gerektiğidir ( w ∈ A ∩ Bw∈A∩B için w 2 ∈ Qw2∈Q alırız ). Özellikle, A , B'denA,B sadece biri ϵϵ içerebilir . Wlog (diğer durum tamamen simetrik olduğu için) ϵ ∈ Bϵ∈B olduğunu varsayabiliriz . O zaman aa ve bb boş olmayan faktörlere dahil edilemediğinden, a , b ∈ A olmalıdıra,b∈A .
Next we get that ambn∈Aambn∈A (and, completely analogously, bman∈Abman∈A) for all m,n>0m,n>0 by induction on mm:
For m=1m=1, since abn∈Qabn∈Q, we must have abn=uvabn=uv with u∈A,v∈Bu∈A,v∈B. Since u≠ϵu≠ϵ, vv must be bkbk for some k≤nk≤n. But if k>0k>0, then since b∈Ab∈A we get b1+k∈Qb1+k∈Q, contradiction. So v=ϵv=ϵ, and abn∈Aabn∈A.
For the inductive step, since am+1bn∈Qam+1bn∈Q we have am+1bn=uvam+1bn=uv with u∈A,v∈Bu∈A,v∈B. Since again u≠ϵu≠ϵ, we have either v=akbnv=akbn for some 0<k<m+10<k<m+1, or v=bkv=bk for some k<nk<n. But in the former case, vv is already in AA by the induction hypothesis, so v2∈Qv2∈Q, contradiction. In the latter case, we must have k=0k=0 (i.e. v=ϵv=ϵ) since from b∈Ab∈A we get b1+k∈Qb1+k∈Q. So u=am+1bn∈Au=am+1bn∈A.
Now consider the general case of primitive words with rr alternations between aa and bb, i.e. ww is either am1bn1…amsbnsam1bn1…amsbns, bm1an1…bmsansbm1an1…bmsans (for r=2s−1r=2s−1), am1bn1…ams+1am1bn1…ams+1, or bm1an1…bms+1bm1an1…bms+1 (for r=2sr=2s); we can show that they are all in AA using induction on rr. What we did so far covered the base cases r=0r=0 and r=1r=1.
For r>1r>1, we use another induction on m1m1, which works very much the same way as the one for r=1r=1 above:
If m1=1m1=1, then w=uvw=uv with u∈A,v∈Bu∈A,v∈B, and since u≠ϵu≠ϵ, vv has fewer than rr alternations. So vv (or its root in case vv itself is not primitive) is in AA by the induction hypothesis on rr for a contradiction as above unless v=ϵv=ϵ. So w=u∈Aw=u∈A.
If m1>1m1>1, in any factorization w=uvw=uv with u≠ϵu≠ϵ, vv either has fewer alternations (and its root is in AA unless v=ϵv=ϵ by the induction hypothesis on rr), or a shorter first block (and its root is in A unless v=ϵv=ϵ by the induction hypothesis on m1m1). In either case we get that we must have v=ϵv=ϵ, i.e. w=u∈Aw=u∈A.
The case of Q′:=Q∪{ϵ} is rather more complicated. The obvious things to note are that in any decomposition Q=A⋅B, both A and B must be subsets of Q′ with A∩B={ϵ}. Also, a,b must be contained in A∪B.
With a bit of extra work, one can show that a and b must be in the same subset. Otherwise, assume wlog that a∈A and b∈B. Let us say that w∈Q′ has a proper factorization if w=uv with u∈A∖{ϵ} and v∈B∖{ϵ}. We have two (symmetric) subcases depending on where ba goes (it must be in A or B since it has no proper factorization).
- If ba∈A, then aba has no proper factorization since ba,a∉B. Since aba∈A would imply abab∈A⋅B, we get aba∈B. As a consequence, bab is neither in A (which would imply bababa∈A⋅B) nor in B (which would imply abab∈A⋅B). Now consider the word babab. It has no proper factorization since bab∉A∪B and abab,baba are not primitive. If babab∈A, then since aba∈B we get (ba)4∈A⋅B; if babab∈B, then since a∈A we get (ab)3∈A⋅B. So there is no way to have babab∈A⋅B, contradiction.
- The case ba∈B is completely symmetric. In a nutshell: bab has no proper factorization and cannot be in B, so it must be in A; therefore aba cannot be in A or B; therefore ababa has no proper factorization but also cannot be in either A or B, contradiction.
I am currently not sure how to proceed beyond this point; it would be interesting to see if the above argument can be systematically generalized.