On the Möbius algebra of geometric lattices (Q1277313): Difference between revisions

Let \(L\) be a finite lattice with operations \(\vee\) and \(\wedge\). The Möbius algebra \(A(L)\) (over the coefficient field \(R\)) has basis \(\{e_a:a\in L\}\) and is defined by the product \(e_a e_b= e_{a\wedge b}\) extended linearly. It is seen to fall into a class of linear algebras determined by a family of other objects whose algebraic properties reflect properties of the original family as in the case of incidence algebras, group algebras etc. If \(L\) is a geometric lattice then the additional lattice structure permits the author to obtain a wealth of information on the characteristic polynomial (as a polynomial over \(A(L)\)) providing direct applications to matroid theory, and in particular to the Tutte polynomial of a matroid, including some interesting ``decomposition'' type results.