Automorphism groups of endomorphism monoids of $0$-unit $3$-valent circulant digraphs

Abstract

Let $G=\Cay(\mathbb{Z}_n,S)$ be a $3$-valent circulant digraph with connection set $S=\{0,s,t\}$, where $s,t\in\mathbb{Z}_n^*$ and $t\neq\pm s$. Determining the automorphism group of its endomorphism monoid reduces to determining the subgroup $U_S(\mathbb{Z}_n)\leq\mathbb{Z}_n^*$ that normalizes $\End(G)$. In this paper, we first establish necessary and sufficient conditions for a unit circulant digraph without $2$-cycles to admit an endomorphism whose image induces a directed cycle. Using this characterization, we explicitly determine $U_S(\mathbb{Z}_n)$ for the previously unresolved $0$-unit $3$-valent family.