Characteristic polynomials of weighted lattices (Q1261126)

Let \((L,f)\) be a weighted lattice (\(L\) is a finite lattice with \(\widehat 0\) and \(\widehat 1\), \(f: L\to\mathbb{N}\) is an increasing function on \(L\)) and denote it by \(L_ f\). The characteristic polynomial of \(L_ f\) is \[ P(L_ f;\lambda)= \sum_{x\in L_ f}\mu(\widehat 0,x) \lambda^{f(\widehat 1)-f(x)}, \] where \(\mu\) is the Möbius function of \(L\). Some results of the paper are the following ones: (1) If \(L_ f\) is a weighted lattice with at least three elements and \(x\) is one of its atoms, then \(P(L_ f;\lambda)= P(L_ f\backslash x; \lambda)- P(L_ f/\lambda; \lambda)\). (2) If \(L_ f\) is a weighted lattice with set of atoms \(\{x_ 1,\dots,x_ n\}\) and \(L_ f/x_ 1\cong L_ f/x_ 2\cong\cdots\cong L_ f/x_ n\), then \(P(d(L_ f); \lambda)= P(L_ f; \lambda)+ nP(L_ f/x_ 1; \lambda)\). (Here \(d(L_ f)\) is the lower truncation of \(L_ f\).) (3) If \(x\) is a modular element of the weighted lattice \(L_ f\), then \(P(L_ f; \lambda)= P(L_ f\backslash x; \lambda)\cdot \bigl[\sum\mu(\widehat 0,a) \lambda^{f(\widehat 1)- f(x)-f(a)}\bigr]\), where the sum is made upon \(a\) such that \(a\land x=\widehat 0\). This last result is the main result of the paper and it generalizes a theorem of \textit{R. P. Stanley} [Modular elements of geometric lattices, Algebra Univers. 1, 214-217 (1971; Zbl 0229.05032)]. Some conditions for modularity are given in the paper and some properties of factorization of the characteristic polynomial.