The number of critical elements of discrete Morse functions on non-compact surfaces (Q1041649)

R. Forman's discrete analogue of Morse theory was originally introduced to study finite CW-complexes. In [Glasg. Math. J. 49, No.~2, 155--165 (2007; Zbl 1129.57005)], the authors of this paper extended the Morse inequalities to the case of non-compact 2-manifolds. They defined the notion of decreasing ray of a Morse function \(f\) as an infinite gradient path of \(f\). In the infinite setting, decreasing rays play the same role as the critical simplices. Their generalized version of Morse inequalities relates the number of critical elements (critical simplices and decreasing rays) with Betti numbers. In this article, those inequalities are used to find the possible number of critical elements of a discrete Morse function in terms of the first Betti number \(b_1\) of the surface. The cases \(b_1=0, 1\) are studied in detail.