Strong Homotopy Types,Nerves and Collapses

We introduce the theory of strong homotopy types of simplicial complexes. Similarly to classical simple homotopy theory, the strong homotopy types can be described by elementary moves. An elementary move in this setting is called a strong collapse and it is a particular kind of simplicial collapse. The advantage of using strong collapses is the existence and uniqueness of cores and their relationship with the nerves of the complexes. From this theory we derive new results for studying simplicial collapsibility with a different point of view. We analyze vertex-transitive simplicial G-actions and prove a particular case of the Evasiveness conjecture for simplicial complexes. Moreover, we reduce the general conjecture to the class of minimal complexes. We also strengthen a result of V. Welker on the barycentric subdivision of collapsible complexes. We obtain this and other results on collapsibility of polyhedra by means of the characterization of the different notions of collapses in terms of finite topological spaces.     

Convex, Acyclic, and Free Sets of an Oriented Matroid

We study the global and local topology of three objects associated to a simple oriented matroid: the lattice of convex sets, the simplicial complex of acyclic sets, and the simplicial complex of free sets. Special cases of these objects and their homotopy types have appeared in several places in the literature. The global homotopy types of all three are shown to coincide, and are either spherical or contractible depending on whether the oriented matroid is totally cyclic. Analysis of the homotopy type of links of vertices in the complex of free sets yields a generalization and more conceptual proof of a recent result counting the interior points of a point configuration. Received October 23, 2000, and in revised form May 3, 2001. Online publication November 2, 2001.     

Simple homotopy types and finite spaces

We present a new approach to simple homotopy theory of polyhedra using finite topological spaces. We define the concept of collapse of a finite space and prove that this new notion corresponds exactly to the concept of a simplicial collapse. More precisely, we show that a collapse X↘Y of finite spaces induces a simplicial collapse K(X)↘K(Y) of their associated simplicial complexes. Moreover, a simplicial collapse K↘L induces a collapse X(K)↘X(L) of the associated finite spaces. This establishes a one-to-one correspondence between simple homotopy types of finite simplicial complexes and simple equivalence classes of finite spaces. We also prove a similar result for maps: We give a complete characterization of the class of maps between finite spaces which induce simple homotopy equivalences between the associated polyhedra. This class describes all maps coming from simple homotopy equivalences at the level of complexes. The advantage of this theory is that the elementary move of finite spaces is much simpler than the elementary move of simplicial complexes: It consists of removing (or adding) just a single point of the space.     

Minimal Resolutions and the Homology of Matching and Chessboard Complexes

We generalize work of Lascoux and Józefiak-Pragacz-Weyman on Betti numbers for minimal free resolutions of ideals generated by 2 × 2 minors of generic matrices and generic symmetric matrices, respectively. Quotients of polynomial rings by these ideals are the classical Segre and quadratic Veronese subalgebras, and we compute the analogous Betti numbers for some natural modules over these Segre and quadratic Veronese subalgebras. Our motivation is two-fold: We immediately deduce from these results the irreducible decomposition for the symmetric group action on the rational homology of all chessboard complexes and complete graph matching complexes as studied by Björner, Lovasz, Vreica and ivaljevi. This follows from an old observation on Betti numbers of semigroup modules over semigroup rings described in terms of simplicial complexes. The class of modules over the Segre rings and quadratic Veronese rings which we consider is closed under the operation of taking canonical modules, and hence exposes a pleasant symmetry inherent in these Betti numbers.     

Stable model categories are categories of modules

A stable model category is a setting for homotopy theory where the suspension functor is invertible. The prototypical examples are the category of spectra in the sense of stable homotopy theory and the category of unbounded chain complexes of modules over a ring. In this paper we develop methods for deciding when two stable model categories represent ‘the same homotopy theory’. We show that stable model categories with a single compact generator are equivalent to modules over a ring spectrum. More generally stable model categories with a set of generators are characterized as modules over a ‘ring spectrum with several objects’, i.e., as spectrum valued diagram categories. We also prove a Morita theorem which shows how equivalences between module categories over ring spectra can be realized by smashing with a pair of bimodules. Finally, we characterize stable model categories which represent the derived category of a ring. This is a slight generalization of Rickard's work on derived equivalent rings. We also include a proof of the model category equivalence of modules over the Eilenberg-Mac Lane spectrum HR and (unbounded) chain complexes of R-modules for a ring R.     

Differential graded versus simplicial categories

We establish a connection between differential graded and simplicial categories by constructing a three-step zig-zag of Quillen adjunctions relating the homotopy theories of the two. In an intermediate step, we extend the Dold-Kan correspondence to a Quillen equivalence between categories enriched over non-negatively graded complexes and categories enriched over simplicial modules. As an application, we obtain a simple calculation of Simpson's homotopy fiber, which is known to be a key step in the construction of a moduli stack of perfect complexes on a smooth projective variety.     

Koszul incidence algebras, affine semigroups, and Stanley-Reisner ideals

We prove a theorem unifying three results from combinatorial homological and commutative algebra, characterizing the Koszul property for incidence algebras of posets and affine semigroup rings, and characterizing linear resolutions of squarefree monomial ideals. The characterization in the graded setting is via the Cohen-Macaulay property of certain posets or simplicial complexes, and in the more general nongraded setting, via the sequential Cohen-Macaulay property.     

Manifold-theoretic compactifications of configuration spaces

We present new definitions for and give a comprehensive treatment of the canonical compactification of configuration spaces due to Fulton–MacPherson and Axelrod–Singer in the setting of smooth manifolds, as well as a simplicial variant of this compactification initiated by Kontsevich. Our constructions are elementary and give simple global coordinates for the compactified configuration space of a general manifold embedded in Euclidean space. We stratify the canonical compactification, identifying the difieomorphism types of the strata in terms of spaces of configurations in the tangent bundle, and give completely explicit local coordinates around the strata as needed to define a manifold with corners. We analyze the quotient map from the canonical to the simplicial compactification, showing it is a homotopy equivalence. Using global coordinates we define projection maps and diagonal maps, which for the simplicial variant satisfy cosimplicial identities.     

Simplicial simple-homotopy of flag complexes in terms of graphs

A flag complex can be defined as a simplicial complex whose simplices correspond to complete subgraphs of its 1-skeleton taken as a graph. In this article, by introducing the notion of s-dismantlability, we shall define the s-homotopy type of a graph and show in particular that two finite graphs have the same s-homotopy type if, and only if, the two flag complexes determined by these graphs have the same simplicial simple-homotopy type. This result is closely related to similar results established by Barmak and Minian [J.A. Barmak, E.G. Minian, Simple homotopy types and finite spaces, Adv. Math. 218 (1) (2008) 87–104. doi:10.1016/j.aim.2007.11.019] in the framework of posets and we give the relation between the two approaches. We conclude with a question about the relation between the s-homotopy and the graph homotopy defined in [B. Chen, S.-T. Yau, Y.-N. Yeh, Graph homotopy and Graham homotopy, Selected papers in honor of Helge Tverberg, Discrete Math. 241 (1-3) (2001) 153–170. doi:10.1016/S0012-365X(01)00115-7.]     

Homotopy type of circle graph complexes motivated by extreme Khovanov homology

It was proven by González-Meneses, Manchón and Silvero that the extreme Khovanov homology of a link diagram is isomorphic to the reduced (co)homology of the independence simplicial complex obtained from a bipartite circle graph constructed from the diagram. In this paper, we conjecture that this simplicial complex is always homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres. In particular, its homotopy type, if not contractible, would be a link invariant (up to suspension), and it would imply that the extreme Khovanov homology of any link diagram does not contain torsion. We prove the conjecture in many special cases and find it convincing to generalize it to every circle graph (intersection graph of chords in a circle). In particular, we prove it for the families of cactus, outerplanar, permutation and non-nested graphs. Conversely, we also give a method for constructing a permutation graph whose independence simplicial complex is homotopy equivalent to any given finite wedge of spheres. We also present some combinatorial results on the homotopy type of finite simplicial complexes and a theorem shedding light on previous results by Csorba, Nagel and Reiner, Jonsson and Barmak. We study the implications of our results to knot theory; more precisely, we compute the real-extreme Khovanov homology of torus links T(3, q) and obtain examples of H-thick knots whose extreme Khovanov homology groups are separated either by one or two gaps as long as desired.     

On Quillen?s Theorem A for posets

A theorem of McCord of 1966 and Quillen?s Theorem A of 1973 provide sufficient conditions for a map between two posets to be a homotopy equivalence at the level of complexes. We give an alternative elementary proof of this result and we deduce also a stronger statement: under the hypotheses of the theorem, the map is not only a homotopy equivalence but a simple homotopy equivalence. This leads then to stronger formulations of the simplicial version of Quillen?s Theorem A, the Nerve Lemma and other known results. In particular we establish a conjecture of Kozlov on the simple homotopy type of the crosscut complex and we improve a well-known result of Cohen on contractible mappings.     

Homotopy simplicial faces and the homology of realizations of simplicial topological spaces

The notion of a differential module with homotopy simplicial faces is introduced, which is a homotopy analog of the notion of a differential module with simplicial faces. The homotopy invariance of the structure of a differential module with homotopy simplicial faces is proved. Relationships between the construction of a differential module with homotopy simplicial faces and the theories of A _∞-algebras and D _∞-differential modules are found. Applications of the method of homotopy simplicial faces to describing the homology of realizations of simplicial topological spaces are presented.     

Local Projective Model Structures on Simplicial Presheaves

We introduce different model structures on the categories of simplicial presheaves and simplicial sheaves on some essentially small Gro-then-dieck site T and give some applications of these simplified model categories. In particular, we prove that the stable homotopy categories SH((Sm/k)Nis,A1) and SH((Sch/k)cdh,A1) are equivalent. This result was first proven by Voevodsky and our proof uses many of his techniques, but it does not use his theory of -closed classes.     

Four-Cycled Graphs with Topological Applications

We call a simple graph G a 4-cycled graph if either it has no edges or every edge of it is contained in an induced 4-cycle of G. Our interest on 4-cycled graphs is motivated by the fact that their clique complexes play an important role in the simple-homotopy theory of simplicial complexes. We prove that the minimal simple models within the category of flag simplicial complexes are exactly the clique complexes of some 4-cycled graphs. We further provide structural properties of 4-cycled graphs and describe constructions yielding such graphs. We characterize 4-cycled cographs, and 4-cycled graphs arising from finite chessboards. We introduce a family of inductively constructed graphs, the external extensions, related to an arbitrary graph, and determine the homotopy type of the independence complexes of external extensions of some graphs.     

On the topology of nested set complexes

Nested set complexes appear as the combinatorial core of De Concini-Procesi arrangement models. We show that nested set complexes are homotopy equivalent to the order complexes of the underlying meet-semilattices without their minimal elements. For atomic semilattices, we consider the realization of nested set complexes by simplicial fans proposed by the first author and Yuzvinsky and we strengthen our previous result showing that in this case nested set complexes in fact are homeomorphic to the mentioned order complexes.

     

Residue complexes over noncommutative rings

Residue complexes were introduced by Grothendieck in algebraic geometry. These are canonical complexes of injective modules that enjoy remarkable functorial properties (traces). In this paper we study residue complexes over noncommutative rings. These objects have a more intricate structure than in the commutative case, since they are complexes of bimodules. We develop methods to prove uniqueness, existence and functoriality of residue complexes. For a polynomial identity algebra over a field (admitting a Noetherian connected filtration) we prove existence of the residue complex and describe its structure in detail.     

On the computation of a-invariants

Thea-invariant of a graded Cohen-Macaulay ring is the least degree of a generator of its graded canonical module. We compute thea-invariants of (i) graded algebras with straightening laws on upper semi-modular lattices and (ii) the Stanley-Reisner rings of shellable weighted simplicial complexes. The formulas obtained are applied to rings defined by determinantal and pfaffian ideals.     

Coarse homotopy groups

In this note on coarse geometry we revisit coarse homotopy. We prove that coarse homotopy indeed is an equivalence relation, and this in the most general context of abstract coarse structures. We introduce (in a geometric way) coarse homotopy groups. The main result is that the coarse homotopy groups of a cone over a compact simplicial complex coincide with the usual homotopy groups of the underlying compact simplicial complex. To prove this we develop geometric triangulation techniques for cones which we expect to be of relevance also in different contexts.     

On the homotopy of simplicial algebras over an operad

According to a result of H. Cartan, the homotopy of a simplicial commutative algebra is equipped with divided power operations. In this article, we show how to extend this result to other kinds of algebras. For instance, we prove that the homotopy of a simplicial Lie algebra is equipped with the structure of a restricted Lie algebra.