Cartan inverse semigroups and twisted Steinberg algebras
We introduce the notion of a Cartan inverse semigroup and an (algebraic) semi-Cartan subalgebra in an $R$-algebra A, providing a purely algebraic analogue of Cartan semigroups and semi-Cartan subalgebras in a C*-algebra. This extends the theory of quasi-Cartan subalgebras, shifting the focus from designated subalgebras to designated subsemigroups. Our main result characterises twisted Steinberg algebras in terms of the existence of a Cartan inverse semigroup: we show that an $R$-algebra admits a Cartan inverse semigroup if and only if it is isomorphic to a twisted Steinberg algebra. Moreover, when our construction is applied to a twisted Steinberg algebra over an ample Hausdorff groupoid, the constructed twist is naturally isomorphic to the original one.