Higher connectivity of tropicalizations (Q2170994)

Let \(K\) be a valued field and consider a \(d\)-dimensional subvariety of \((K^*)^n\). The tropicalization \(\operatorname{trop}(X) \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) of \(X\) is defined as the closure (in Euclidean topology) of the pointwise valuation of \(L\)-valued points of \(X\) for \(L\) ranging over all nontrivially valued algebraically closed field extension. It is well known that \(\operatorname{trop}(X)\) can be written as the support of a purely \(d\)-dimensional polyhedral complex \(\Sigma\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). Moreover, [\textit{D. Cartwright} and \textit{S. Payne}, Math. Res. Lett. 19, No. 5, 1089--1095 (2012; Zbl 1291.14091)] have shown (under some assumptions on \(K\)) that for irreducible \(X\), any such complex \(\Sigma\) is connected through codimension 1. The main theorem of the present article improves on this result by showing that \(\Sigma\) is in fact even \((d-\ell)\)-connected through codimension 1, which means that even after removing up to \(d - \ell - 1\) many closed facets from \(\Sigma\) the remaining complex is still connected through codimension 1. Here, \(\ell\) is the dimension of the lineality space of \(\Sigma\). The main theorem requires \(K\) to be of characteristic 0 in addition to the assumptions of Cartwright-Payne. Apart from this main result, the paper also contains the following secondary results. \begin{itemize} \item As a corollary of the main theorem, the authors show that the \(k\)-dimensional skeleton of a polytope is \(k\)-connected through codimension 1. This generalizes Balinski's Theorem. \item As an ingredient for the proof of the main theorem, the paper contains a \emph{tropical Bertini theorem}: If \(X\) is irreducible then the set of rational hyperplanes \(H \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) such that \(\operatorname{trop}(X) \cap H\) is the tropicalization of an irreducible variety, is dense. The proof of this statement is based on the toric Bertini theorem, which is where the characteristic 0 assumption comes from. \item Working towards a more combinatorial understanding of their main result, the authors show that the fine subdivision of the Bergman fan of a matroid of rank \(d+1\) is \(d\)-connected through codimension 1. \end{itemize}