Slim semimodular lattices. II: A description by patchwork systems (Q2376913)

Building on earlier work of Stern and of Grätzer and Knapp as well as their own one, the authors provide a wealth of new structural results on finite planar semimodular lattices \(L\) and their diagrams (always assumed planar!). For simplicity, a general assumption is that \(L\) is neither a chain nor the union of two intervals intersecting in a singleton. In particular, it is shown that all such \(L\) can be obtained as a union of a \textit{patchwork system} of rectangular intervals \(I\) such that \(I,J\) with \(I \cap J \neq \emptyset\) have \(I \cap J\) a chain contained in the intersection of the upper boundary of one of them with the lower boundary of the other (w.r.t. some/any fixed diagram of \(L\)); moreover, any non-chain height-\(2\) interval of \(L\) is contained in some \(I\). Here, \(I\) is \textit{rectangular} if for some/any diagram of \(I\) there is a complementary pair of doubly irreducibles on the boundary, each the unique one on its side. In the result, these doubly irreducibles may even require coatoms in \(I\), that is, \(I\) is a \textit{patch} lattice. \(L\) is a patch lattice iff \(L\) is \textit{patchwork indecomposable}, i.e. its unique patchwork system consists of \(L\); equivalently, \(L\) is indecomposable w.r.t. Dilworth-Hall gluing (over chains) -- and there are further characterizations, e.g., \(L\) obtained from \(\mathbf{2}^2\) by iteratively adding ``forks''. Thus, in the case of modular \(L\), there is a unique patchwork system given by the non-chain height-\(2\) intervals, i.e. the maximal complemented intervals. In general, the patchwork decomposition is given by the maximal intervals which are patch lattices. The proof of these result relies on the \textit{slimming} of \(L\): given a diagram of \(L\), remove all elements in the interior of a height-\(2\) interval to obtain a planar semimodular \(0\)-\(1\)-sublattice \(L'\) which is \textit{slim}, i.e. has a width-\(2\) set of join irreducibles. The isomorphism type of \(L'\) depends on that of \(L\) only. A key lemma relates \(L\) and \(L'\) regarding the concepts of ``indecomposability'' (w.r.t. suitable choice of diagrams) and shows that \(L\) and \(L'\) have the same quotients defining maximal patch lattice intervals. This allows the authors to obtain the decomposition of \(L\) from that of \(L'\). A particular merit of the paper is a thorough discussion of the role of diagrams and the relevant independence results. For Part I see [the authors, ibid. 29, No. 3, 481--497 (2012; Zbl 1257.06005)].