We verify the Upper Bound Conjecture (UBC) for a class of odd-dimensional simplicial complexes that in particular includes all Eulerian simplicial complexes with isolated singularities. The proof relies on a new invariant of simplicial complexes -- a short simplicial h-vector.
We study $n$-vertex $d$-dimensional polytopes with at most one nonsimplex facet with, say, $d+s$ vertices, called {\it almost simplicial polytopes}. We provide tight lower and upper bound theorems for these polytopes as functions of $d,n$ and $s$, thus generalizing the classical Lower Bound Theorem by Barnette and Upper Bound Theorem by McMullen, which treat the case of $s=0$. We characterize the minimizers and provide examples of maximizers, for any $d$. Our construction of maximizers is a generalization of cyclic polytopes, based on a suitable variation of the moment curve, and is of indepen…
We establish a bound for the length of vectors involved in a unimodular triangulation of simplicial cones. The bound is exponential in the square of the logarithm of the multiplicity, and improves previous bounds significantly. The proof is based on a successive reduction of the highest prime divisor of the multiplicity and uses the prime number theorem to control the length of the subdividing vectors.
We establish an upper bound on the cardinality of a minimal generating set for the fundamental group of a large family of connected, balanced simplicial complexes and, more generally, simplicial posets.
We study random simplicial complexes in the multi-parameter upper model. In this model simplices of various dimensions are taken randomly and independently, and our random simplicial complex $Y$ is then taken to be the minimal simplicial complex containing this collection of simplices. We study the asymptotic behavior of the homology of $Y$ as the number of vertices goes to $\infty$. We observe the following phenomenon asymptotically almost surely. The given probabilities with which the simplices are taken determine a range of dimensions $\ell \leq k \leq \ell'$ with $\ell' \leq 2\ell +1$, out…
This thesis addresses the question of the maximal number of $d$-simplices for a simplicial complex which is embeddable into $\mathbb{R}^r$ for some $d \leq r \leq 2d$. A lower bound of $f_d(C_{r + 1}(n)) = Ω(n^{\lceil\frac{r}{2}\rceil})$, which might even be sharp, is given by the cyclic polytopes. To find an upper bound for the case $r=2d$ we look for forbidden subcomplexes. A generalization of the theorem of van Kampen and Flores yields those. Then the problem can be tackled with the methods of extremal hypergraph theory, which gives an upper bound of $O(n^{d+1-\frac{1}{3^d}})$. We also cons…
We describe topology of random simplicial complexes in the lower and upper models in the medial regime, i.e. under the assumption that the probability parameters $p_σ$ approach neither $0$ nor $1$. We show that nontrivial Betti numbers of typical lower and upper random simplicial complexes in the medial regime lie in a narrow range of dimensions. For instance, an upper random simplicial complex $Y$ on $n$ vertices in the medial regime with high probability has non-vanishing Betti numbers $b_{j}(Y)$ only for $k+c <n-j<k+\log_2 k +c'$ where $k=\log_2 \ln n$ and $c, c' $ are constants. A lower ra…
We consider closed simplicial and cubical $n$-complexes in terms of link of their $(n-2)$-faces. Especially, we consider the case, when this link has size 3 or 4, i.e., every $(n-2)$-face is contained in 3 or 4 $n$-faces. Such simplicial complexes with {\em short} (i.e. of length 3 or 4) links are completely classified by their {\em characteristic partition}. We consider also embedding into hypercubes of the skeletons of simplicial and cubical complexes.
The colorful simplicial depth of a collection of d+1 finite sets of points in Euclidean d-space is the number of choices of a point from each set such that the origin is contained in their convex hull. We use methods from combinatorial topology to prove a tight upper bound on the colorful simplicial depth. This implies a conjecture of Deza et al. (2006). Furthermore, we introduce colorful Gale transforms as a bridge between colorful configurations and Minkowski sums. Our colorful upper bound then yields a tight upper bound on the number of totally mixed facets of certain Minkowski sums of simp…
This paper is a survey of recent advances as well as open problems in the study of face numbers of centrally symmetric simplicial polytopes and spheres. The topics discussed range from neighborliness of centrally symmetric polytopes and the upper bound theorem for centrally symmetric simplicial spheres to the generalized lower bound theorem for centrally symmetric simplicial polytopes and the lower bound conjecture for centrally symmetric simplicial spheres and manifolds.
In this paper we discuss two general models of random simplicial complexes which we call the lower and the upper models. We show that these models are dual to each other with respect to combinatorial Alexander duality. The behaviour of the Betti numbers in the lower model is characterised by the notion of critical dimension, which was introduced by A. Costa and M. Farber: random simplicial complexes in the lower model are homologically approximated by a wedge of spheres of dimension equal the critical dimension. In this paper we study the Betti numbers in the upper model and introduce new noti…
Several years ago Linial and Meshulam introduced a model called X_d(n,p) of random n-vertex d-dimensional simplicial complexes. The following question suggests itself very naturally: What is the threshold probability p=p(n) at which the d-dimensional homology of such a random d-complex is, almost surely, nonzero? Here we derive an upper bound on this threshold. Computer experiments that we have conducted suggest that this bound may coincide with the actual threshold, but this remains an open question.
We introduce a generalization of the celebrated Lovász theta number of a graph to simplicial complexes of arbitrary dimension. Our generalization takes advantage of real simplicial cohomology theory, in particular combinatorial Laplacians, and provides a semidefinite programming upper bound of the independence number of a simplicial complex. We consider properties of the graph theta number such as the relationship to Hoffman's ratio bound and to the chromatic number and study how they extend to higher dimensions. Like in the case of graphs, the higher dimensional theta number can be extended t…
This paper concerns a generalization of nowhere-zero modular q-flows from graphs to simplicial complexes of dimension d greater than 1. A modular q-flow of a simplicial complex is an element of the kernel of the d-th boundary map with coefficients in Z/qZ; it is called nowhere-zero if it is not zero restricted to any of the facets of the complex. Briefly noting connections to other invariants of simplicial complexes, this paper provides a generalization of Tutte's 5-flow conjecture, which claims the universal existence of a 5-flow for all bridgeless graphs. Once phrased, this paper concludes w…
We prove upper bounds for the graded Betti numbers of Stanley-Reisner rings of balanced simplicial complexes. Along the way we show bounds for Cohen-Macaulay graded rings $S/I$, where $S$ is a polynomial ring and $I\subseteq S$ is an homogeneous ideal containing a certain number of generators in degree 2, including the squares of the variables. Using similar techniques we provide upper bounds for the number of linear syzygies for Stanley-Reisner of balanced normal pseudomanifolds. Moreover, we compute explicitly the graded Betti numbers of cross-polytopal stacked spheres, and show that they on…
We study $d$-dimensional simplicial complexes that are PL embeddable in $\mathbb{R}^{d+1}$. It is shown that such a complex must satisfy a certain homological condition. The existence of this obstruction allows us to provide a systematic approach to deriving upper bounds for the number of top-dimensional faces of such complexes, particularly in low dimensions.
Let X be a simplicial complex with the ground set V. Define its Alexander dual as a simplicial complex X* = {A \subset V: V \setminus A \notin X}. The combinatorial Alexander duality states that the i-th reduced homology group of X is isomorphic to the (|V|-i-3)-th reduced cohomology group of X* (over a given commutative ring R). We give a self-contained proof.
Let $f_i(P)$ denote the number of $i$-dimensional faces of a convex polytope $P$. Furthermore, let $S(n,d)$ and $C(n,d)$ denote, respectively, the stacked and the cyclic $d$-dimensional polytopes on $n$ vertices. Our main result is that for every simplicial $d$-polytope $P$, if $$ f_r(S(n_1,d))\le f_r(P) \le f_r(C(n_2,d)) $$ for some integers $n_1, n_2$ and $r$, then $$ f_s(S(n_1,d))\le f_s(P) \le f_s(C(n_2,d)) $$ for all $s$ such that $r<s$. For $r=0$ these inequalities are the well-known lower and upper bound theorems for simplicial polytopes. The result is implied by a certain ``comparison …
We consider $d$-dimensional simplicial complexes which can be PL embedded in the $2d$-dimensional euclidean space. In short, we show that in any such complex, for any three vertices, the intersection of the link-complexes of the vertices is linklessly embeddable in the $(2d-1)$-dimensional euclidean space. These considerations lead us to a new upper bound on the total number of $d$-simplices in an embeddable complex in $2d$-space with $n$ vertices, improving known upper bounds, for all $d \geq 2$. Moreover, the bound is also true for the size of $d$-complexes linklessly embeddable in the $(2d+…
The Hirsch conjecture, posed in 1957, stated that the graph of a $d$-dimensional polytope or polyhedron with $n$ facets cannot have diameter greater than $n - d$. The conjecture itself has been disproved, but what we know about the underlying question is quite scarce. Most notably, no polynomial upper bound is known for the diameters that were conjectured to be linear. In contrast, no polyhedron violating the conjecture by more than 25% is known. This paper reviews several recent attempts and progress on the question. Some work in the world of polyhedra or (more often) bounded polytopes, but s…
For $n \in \mathbb{N}$, let $h(n)$ denote the number of simplicial complexes on $n$ vertices up to homotopy equivalence. Here we prove that $h(n) \geq 2^{2^{0.02n}}$ when $n$ is large enough. Together with the trivial upper bound of $2^{2^n}$ on the number of labeled simplicial complexes on $n$ vertices this proves a conjecture of Kalai that $h(n)$ is doubly exponential in $n$.
Face numbers of triangulations of simplicial complexes were studied by Stanley by use of his concept of a local $h$-vector. It is shown that a parallel theory exists for cubical subdivisions of cubical complexes, in which the role of the $h$-vector of a simplicial complex is played by the (short or long) cubical $h$-vector of a cubical complex, defined by Adin, and the role of the local $h$-vector of a triangulation of a simplex is played by the (short or long) cubical local $h$-vector of a cubical subdivision of a cube. The cubical local $h$-vectors are defined in this paper and are shown to …
Let $K$ be a finite simplicial complex. We prove that the normalized expected Betti numbers of a random subcomplex in its $d$-th barycentric subdivision $\text{Sd}^d (K)$ converge to universal limits as $d$ grows to $+ \infty$. In codimension one, we use canonical filtrations of $\text{Sd}^d (K)$ to upper estimate these limits and get a monotony theorem which makes it possible to improve these estimates given any packing of disjoint simplices in $\text{Sd}^d (K)$. We then introduce a notion of tiling of simplicial complexes having the property that skeletons and barycentric subdivisions of til…
We consider a multi-parameter model for randomly constructing simplicial complexes. This model interpolates between random clique complexes and Linial-Meshulam random $k$-dimensional complexes, two models that have been extensively studied. While these models asymptotically exhibit nontrivial cohomology in only one or two dimensions, we show that in this generalized setting nontrivial cohomology can occur in several dimensions simultaneously. We establish upper and lower thresholds for the appearance of nontrivial cohomology in a particular dimension, and in some instances characterize the beh…
We prove upper bounds on the face numbers of simplicial complexes in terms on their girths, in analogy with the Moore bound from graph theory. Our definition of girth generalizes the usual definition for graphs.
We introduce and study a new combinatorial invariant the theta-number $θ(X)$ of simplicial complexes, and prove that the inequality $\mathcal{C}(X)\leq θ(X)$ holds for every simplicial complex $X$, where $\mathcal{C}(X)$ denotes the collapsibility number of $X$. We display the advantages of working with the theta-number. Its purely combinatorial formulation enables us to verify the validity of the existing bounds on both Leray and collapsibility numbers as well as provide new bounds involving other parameters. We show that the theta-number, collapsibility and Leray numbers of a vertex decompos…
We show that the minimum number of vertices of a simplicial complex with fundamental group $\mathbb{Z}^{n}$ is at most $O(n)$ and at least $Ω(n^{3/4})$. For the upper bound, we use a result on orthogonal 1-factorizations of $K_{2n}$. For the lower bound, we use a fractional Sylvester-Gallai result. We also prove that any group presentation $\langle S | R\rangle \cong \mathbb{Z}^{n}$ whose relations are of the form $g^{a}h^{b}i^{c}$ for $g, h, i \in S$ has at least $Ω(n^{3/2})$ generators.
We introduce the short toric polynomial associated to a graded Eulerian poset. This polynomial contains the same information as the two toric polynomials introduced by Stanley, but allows different algebraic manipulations. The intertwined recurrence defining Stanley's toric polynomials may be replaced by a single recurrence, in which the degree of the discarded terms is independent of the rank. A short toric variant of the formula by Bayer and Ehrenborg, expressing the toric $h$-vector in terms of the $cd$-index, may be stated in a rank-independent form, and it may be shown using weighted latt…
In 1983 Kalai proved an incredible generalisation of Cayley's formula for the number of trees on a labelled vertex set to a formula for a class of $r$-dimensional simplicial complexes. These simplicial complexes generalise trees by means of being homologically $\Bbb Q$-acyclic. In this text we consider a different generalisation of trees to the class of pure dimensional simplicial complexes that \textit{minimally connect a vertex set} (in the sense that the removal of any top dimensional face disconnects the complex). Our main result provides an upper and lower bound for the number of these mi…
In this paper we settle long-standing questions regarding the combinatorial complexity of Minkowski sums of polytopes: We give a tight upper bound for the number of faces of a Minkowski sum, including a characterization of the case of equality. We similarly give a (tight) upper bound theorem for mixed faces of Minkowski sums. This has a wide range of applications and generalizes the classical the Upper Bound Theorems of McMullen and Stanley. Our main tool is relative Stanley--Reisner theory, a powerful generalization of the algebraic theory of simplicial complexes inaugurated by Hochster, Reis…
We study the homological properties of random simplicial complexes. In particular, we obtain the asymptotic behavior of lifetime sums for a class of increasing random simplicial complexes; this result is a higher-dimensional counterpart of Frieze's $ζ(3)$-limit theorem for the Erdős-Rényi graph process. The main results include solutions to questions posed in an earlier study by Hiraoka and Shirai about the Linial-Meshulam complex process and the random clique complex process. One of the key elements of the arguments is a new upper bound on the Betti numbers of general simplicial complexes in …
For $d \geq 2$ and $G$ a finite abelian group, define $T_d(G)$ to be the minimum number of vertices $n$ so that there exists a simplicial complex $X$ on $n$ vertices which has the torsion part of $H_{d - 1}(X)$ isomorphic to $G$. Here we establish an upper bound on $T_d(G)$ which matches the known lower bound up to a constant factor. That is, we prove that for every $d \geq 2$ there exist constants $c_d$ and $C_d$ so that for any finite abelian group $c_d(\log |G|)^{1/d} \leq T_d(G) \leq C_d(\log |G|)^{1/d}.$
Refining a basic result of Alexander, we show that two flag simplicial complexes are piecewise linearly homeomorphic if and only if they can be connected by a sequence of flag complexes, each obtained from the previous one by either an edge subdivision or its inverse. For flag spheres we pose new conjectures on their combinatorial structure forced by their face numbers, analogous to the extremal examples in the upper and lower bound theorems for simplicial spheres. Furthermore, we show that our algorithm to test the conjectures searches through the entire space of flag PL spheres of any given …
We study the problem of maximizing Betti numbers of simplicial complexes. We prove an upper bound of 1.32^n for the sum of Betti numbers of any n-vertex flag complex and 1.25^n for the independence complex of a triangle-free graph. These findings imply upper bounds for the Betti numbers of various related classes of spaces, including the neighbourhood complex of a graph. We also make some related observations.
In this article, we derive two spectral gap bounds for the reduced Laplacian of a general simplicial complex. Our two bounds are proven by comparing a simplicial complex in two different ways with a larger complex and with the corresponding clique complex respectively. Both of these bounds generalize the result of Aharoni et al. (2005) \cite{ABM} which is valid only for clique complexes. As an application, we investigate the thresholds for vanishing of cohomology of the neighborhood complex of the Erdös-Rényi random graph. We improve the upper bound derived in Kahle (2007) \cite{kahle} by a lo…
In 1992, Kalai and Kleitman proved a quasipolynomial upper bound on the diameters of convex polyhedra. Todd and Sukegawa-Kitahara proved tail-quasipolynomial bounds on the diameters of polyhedra. These tail bounds apply when the number of facets is greater than a certain function of the dimension. We prove tail-quasipolynomial bounds on the diameters of polytopes and normal simplicial complexes. We also prove tail-polynomial upper bounds on the diameters of polyhedra.
We consider the question of the largest possible combinatorial diameter among $(d-1)$-dimensional simplicial complexes on $n$ vertices, denoted $H_s(n, d)$. Using a probabilistic construction we give a new lower bound on $H_s(n, d)$ that is within an $O(d^2)$ factor of the upper bound. This improves on the previously best-known lower bound which was within a factor of $e^{Θ(d)}$ of the upper bound. We also make a similar improvement in the case of pseudomanifolds.
Let $\mathcal{G}$ be the class of all graphs with no induced four-edge path or four-edge antipath. Hayward and Nastos \cite{MS} conjectured that every prime graph in $\mathcal{G}$ not isomorphic to the cycle of length five is either a split graph or contains a certain useful arrangement of simplicial and antisimplicial vertices. In this paper we give a counterexample to their conjecture, and prove a slightly weaker version. Additionally, applying a result of the first author and Seymour \cite{grow} we give a short proof of Fouquet's result \cite{C5} on the structure of the subclass of bull-fre…
A necessary condition for the existence of torus-equivariant crepant resolutions of Gorenstein toric singularities can be derived by making use of a variant of the classical Upper Bound Theorem which is valid for simplicial balls.
A famous theorem in polytope theory states that the combinatorial type of a simplicial polytope is completely determined by its facet-ridge graph. This celebrated result was proven by Blind and Mani in 1987, via a non-constructive proof using topological tools from homology theory. An elegant constructive proof was given by Kalai shortly after. In their original paper, Blind and Mani asked whether their result can be extended to simplicial spheres, and a positive answer to their question was conjectured by Kalai in 2009. In this paper, we show that Kalai's conjecture holds in the particular ca…
Université Gustave Eiffel(古斯塔夫·埃菲尔大学);CNRS, LIGM(法国国家科学研究中心,信息学与机器学习实验室);Univ Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, LAMA UMR8050(巴黎东克雷泰伊大学,法国国家科学研究中心,LAMA联合研究实验室);Massachusetts Institute of Technology(麻省理工学院)
Mogami introduced in 1995 a large class of triangulated 3-dimensional pseudomanifolds, henceforth called "Mogami pseudomanifolds". He proved an exponential bound for the size of this class in terms of the number of tetrahedra. The question of whether all 3-balls are Mogami has remained open since, a positive answer would imply a much-desired exponential upper bound for the total number of 3-balls (and 3-spheres) with N tetrahedra. Here we provide a negative answer: many 3-balls are not Mogami. On the way to this result, we characterize the Mogami property in terms of nuclei, in the sense of Co…
Let $M$ be a closed triangulable manifold, and let $Δ$ be a triangulation of $M$. What is the smallest number of vertices that $Δ$ can have? How big or small can the number of edges of $Δ$ be as a function of the number of vertices? More generally, what are the possible face numbers ($f$-numbers, for short) that $Δ$ can have? In other words, what restrictions does the topology of $M$ place on the possible $f$-numbers of triangulations of $M$? To make things even more interesting, we can add some combinatorial conditions on the triangulations we are considering (e.g., flagness, balancedness, et…
We give a survey on the recent results and problems on the face enumeration of flag complexes and flag simplicial spheres, with an emphasis on the characterization of face vectors of flag complexes, several lower-bound type of conjectures including the Charney-Davis conjecture and Gal's conjecture, and the upper bound conjecture for flag spheres and pseudomanifolds.