Higher dimensional analogues of the map colouring problem
After a brief discussion of the history of the problem, we propose a generalization of the map colouring problem to higher dimensions.
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arXiv subjects
Bhaskar Bagchi
Publications and source records attributed to Bhaskar Bagchi.
Lower bound theorem for normal pseudomanifolds
In this paper we present a self-contained combinatorial proof of the lower bound theorem for normal pseudomanifolds, including a treatment of the cases of equality in this theorem. We also discuss McMullen and Walkup's generalised lower bound conjecture for triangulated spheres in the context of the lower bound theorem. Finally, we pose a new lower bound conjecture for non-simply connected triangulated manifolds.
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On stellated spheres, shellable balls, lower bounds and a combinatorial criterion for tightness
We introduce the $k$-stellated spheres and compare and contrast them with $k$-stacked spheres. It is shown that for $d \geq 2k$, any $k$-stellated sphere of dimension $d$ bounds a unique and canonically defined $k$-stacked ball. In parallel, any $k$-stacked polytopal sphere of dimension $d\geq 2k$ bounds a unique and canonically defined $k$-stacked ball. We consider the class ${\cal W}_k(d)$ of combinatorial $d$-manifolds with $k$-stellated links. For $d\geq 2k+2$, any member of ${\cal W}_k(d)$ bounds a unique and canonically defined "$k$-stacked" $(d+1)$-manifold. We introduce the mu-vector of simplicial complexes, and show that the mu-vector of any 2-neighbourly simplicial complex dominates its vector of Betti numbers componentwise, and the two vectors are equal precisely when the complex is tight. When $d\geq 2k$, we are able to estimate/compute certain alternating sums of the mu-numbers of any 2-neighbourly member of ${\cal W}_k(d)$. This leads to a lower bound theorem for such triangulated manifolds. As an application, it is shown that any $(k+1)$-neighbourly member of ${\cal W}_k(d)$ is tight, subject only to an extra condition on the $k^{th}$ Betti number in case $d=2k+1$. This result more or less settles a recent conjecture of Effenberger, and it also provides a uniform and conceptual tightness proof for all the known tight triangulated manifolds, with only two exceptions. It is shown that any polytopal upper bound sphere of odd dimension $2k+1$ belongs to the class ${\cal W}_k(2k+1)$, thus generalizing a theorem due to Perles. This shows that the case $d=2k+1$ is indeed exceptional for the tightness theorem.
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On Walkup's class ${\cal K}(d)$ and a minimal triangulation of $(S^3 \times \rotatebox{90}{\ltimes} S^1)^{\#3}$
For $d \geq 2$, Walkup's class ${\cal K}(d)$ consists of the $d$-dimensional simplicial complexes all whose vertex-links are stacked $(d-1)$-spheres. Kalai showed that for $d \geq 4$, all connected members of ${\cal K}(d)$ are obtained from stacked $d$-spheres by finitely many elementary handle additions. According to a result of Walkup, the face vector of any triangulated 4-manifold $X$ with Euler characteristic $χ$ satisfies $f_1 \geq 5f_0 - {15/2} χ$, with equality only for $X \in {\cal K}(4)$. Kühnel observed that this implies $f_0(f_0 - 11) \geq -15χ$, with equality only for 2-neighborly members of ${\cal K}(4)$. Kühnel also asked if there is a triangulated 4-manifold with $f_0 = 15$, $χ= -4$ (attaining equality in his lower bound). In this paper, guided by Kalai's theorem, we show that indeed there is such a triangulation. It triangulates the connected sum of three copies of the twisted sphere product $S^3 \times {-2.8mm}_{-} S^1$. Because of Kühnel's inequality, the given triangulation of this manifold is a vertex-minimal triangulation. By a recent result of Effenberger, the triangulation constructed here is tight. Apart from the neighborly 2-manifolds and the infinite family of $(2d+ 3)$-vertex sphere products $S^{d-1} \times S^1$ (twisted for $d$ odd), only fourteen tight triangulated manifolds were known so far. The present construction yields a new member of this sporadic family. We also present a self-contained proof of Kalai's result.
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A triangulation of $\CC P^3$ as symmetric cube of $S^2$
The symmetric group $S_3$ acts on $S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2$ by coordinate permutation, and the quotient space $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)/S_3$ is homeomorphic to the complex projective space $\CC P^3$. In this paper, we construct an 124-vertex simplicial subdivision $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)_{124}$ of the 64-vertex standard cellulation $S^2_4 \times S^2_4 \times S^2_4$ of $S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2$, such that the $S_3$-action on this cellulation naturally extends to an action on $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)_{124}$. Further, the $S_3$-action on $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)_{124}$ is "good", so that the quotient simplicial complex $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)_{124}/S_3$ is a 30-vertex triangulation $\CC P^3_{30}$ of $\CC P^3$. In other words, we construct a simplicial realization $(S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2)_{124} \to \CC P^3_{30}$ of the branched covering $S^2 \times S^2 \times S^2 \to \CC P^3$. Finally, we apply the BISTELLAR program of Lutz on $\CC P^3_{30}$, resulting in an 18-vertex 2-neighbourly triangulation $\CC P^3_{18}$ of $\CC P^3$. The automorphism group of $\CC P^3_{18}$ is trivial. It may be recalled that, by a result of Arnoux and Marin, any triangulation of $\CC P^3$ requires at least 17 vertices. So, $\CC P^3_{18}$ is close to vertex-minimal, if not actually vertex-minimal. Moreover, no explicit triangulation of $\CC P^3$ was known so far.
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From the icosahedron to natural triangulations of $\CC P^2$ and $S^2 \times S^2$
We present two constructions in this paper: (a) A 10-vertex triangulation $\CC P^{2}_{10}$ of the complex projective plane $\CC P^{2}$ as a subcomplex of the join of the standard sphere ($S^{2}_4$) and the standard real projective plane ($\RR P^{2}_{6}$, the decahedron), its automorphism group is $A_4$; (b) a 12-vertex triangulation $(S^{2} \times S^{2})_{12}$ of $S^{2} \times S^{2}$ with automorphism group $2S_5$, the Schur double cover of the symmetric group $S_5$. It is obtained by generalized bistellar moves from a simplicial subdivision of the standard cell structure of $S^{2} \times S^{2}$. Both constructions have surprising and intimate relationships with the icosahedron. It is well known that $\CC P^{2}$ has $S^{2} \times S^{2}$ as a two-fold branched cover; we construct the triangulation $\CC P^{2}_{10}$ of $\CC P^{2}$ by presenting a simplicial realization of this covering map $S^{2} \times S^{2} \to \CC P^{2}$. The domain of this simplicial map is a simplicial subdivision of the standard cell structure of $S^{2} \times S^{2}$, different from the triangulation alluded to in (b). This gives a new proof that Kuehnel's $\CC P^{2}_{9}$ triangulates $\CC P^{2}$. It is also shown that $\CC P^{2}_{10}$ and $(S^{2} \times S^{2})_{12}$ induce the standard piecewise linear structure on $\CC P^{2}$ and $S^{2} \times S^{2}$ respectively.
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Minimal triangulations of sphere bundles over the circle
For integers $d \geq 2$ and $ε= 0$ or 1, let $S^{1, d - 1}(ε)$ denote the sphere product $S^{1} \times S^{d - 1}$ if $ε= 0$ and the twisted $S^{d - 1}$ bundle over $S^{1}$ if $ε= 1$. The main results of this paper are: (a) if $d \equiv ε$ (mod 2) then $S^{1, d - 1}(ε)$ has a unique minimal triangulation using $2d + 3$ vertices, and (b) if $d \equiv 1 - ε$ (mod 2) then $S^{1, d - 1}(ε)$ has minimal triangulations (not unique) using $2d + 4$ vertices. The second result confirms a recent conjecture of Lutz. The first result provides the first known infinite family of closed manifolds (other than spheres) for which the minimal triangulation is unique. Actually, we show that while $S^{1, d - 1}(ε)$ has at most one $(2d + 3)$-vertex triangulation (one if $d \equiv ε$ (mod 2), zero otherwise), in sharp contrast, the number of non-isomorphic $(2d + 4)$-vertex triangulations of these $d$-manifolds grows exponentially with $d$ for either choice of $ε$. The result in (a), as well as the minimality part in (b), is a consequence of the following result: (c) for $d \geq 3$, there is a unique $(2d + 3)$-vertex simplicial complex which triangulates a non-simply connected closed manifold of dimension $d$. This amazing simplicial complex was first constructed by Kühnel in 1986. Generalizing a 1987 result of Brehm and Kühnel, we prove that (d) any triangulation of a non-simply connected closed $d$-manifold requires at least $2d + 3$ vertices. The result (c) completely describes the case of equality in (d). The proofs rest on the Lower Bound Theorem for normal pseudomanifolds and on a combinatorial version of Alexander duality.
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Uniqueness of Walkup's 9-vertex 3-dimensional Klein bottle
Via a computer search, Altshuler and Steinberg found that there are 1296 +1 combinatorial 3-manifolds on nine vertices, of which only one is non-sphere. This exceptional 3-manifold $K^{3}_{9}$ triangulates the twisted $S^{2}$-bundle over $S^{1}$. It was first constructed by Walkup. In this paper, we present a computer-free proof of the uniqueness of this non-sphere combinatorial 3-manifold. As opposed to the computer-generated proof, ours does not require wading through all the 9-vertex 3-spheres. As a preliminary result, we also show that any 9-vertex combinatorial 3-manifold is equivalent by proper bistellar moves to a 9-vertex neighbourly 3-manifold.
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On Nyman, Beurling and Baez-Duarte's Hilbert space reformulation of the Riemann hypothesis
There has been a surge of interest of late in an old result of Nyman and Beurling giving a Hilbert space formulation of the Riemann hypothesis. Many authors have contributed to this circle of ideas, culminating in a beautiful refinement due to Baez-Duarte. The purpose of this little survey is to dis-entangle the resulting web of complications, and reveal the essential simplicity of the main results.
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Non-existence of 6-dimensional pseudomanifolds with complementarity
In a previous paper the second author showed that if $M$ is a pseudomanifold with complementarity other than the 6-vertex real projective plane and the 9-vertex complex projective plane, then $M$ must have dimension $\geq 6$, and - in case of equality - $M$ must have exactly 12 vertices. In this paper we prove that such a 6-dimensional pseudomanifold does not exist. On the way to proving our main result we also prove that all combinatorial triangulations of the 4-sphere with at most 10 vertices are combinatorial 4-spheres.
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