Cancellation properties in ideal systems: A classification of boldsymbol{e.a.b.} semistar operations

We give a classification of {\texttt{e.a.b.}} semistar (and star) operations by defining four different (successively smaller) distinguished classes. Then, using a standard notion of equivalence of semistar (and star) operations to partition the collection of all {\texttt{e.a.b.}} semistar (or star) operations, we show that there is exactly one operation of finite type in each equivalence class and that this operation has a range of nice properties. We give examples to demonstrate that the four classes of {\texttt{e.a.b.}} semistar (or star) operations we defined can all be distinct. In particular, we solve the open problem of showing that {\texttt{a.b.}} is really a stronger condition than {\texttt{e.a.b.}}