Super adaptable graphs and the realization problem

Abstract

We introduce and study the family of super adaptable monoids, which includes, among many others, all conical refinement monoids that are either finitely generated, or countable, primely generated, and regular. Our main result shows that any countable super adaptable monoid can be realized by a von Neumann regular ring, thus answering affirmatively the Realization problem for this class. The result is new even for the subclass of countable, primely generated, regular conical refinement monoids, which we show can be realized by both a von Neumann regular ring and a purely infinite, real rank zero C^*-algebra.

To prove this result, we develop a systematic framework that connects three fundamental structures: abstract monoids, separated graphs (a specific class of colored graphs), and von Neumann regular rings. By establishing functorial connections among these classes, we translate several algebraic properties of monoids into combinatorial and ring-theoretic notions. This allows us not only to prove the main realization result, but also to obtain several characterizations of super adaptable monoids. As a particular application, these can be used to provide a complete characterization of which regular monoids arise as graph monoids.

To our knowledge, this work offers the first self-contained treatment in the literature where the complete realization process —from abstract monoids through I-systems and separated graphs to regular rings and C^∗-algebras— isdeveloped sequentially and in full detail within a single text.