Modules of piecewise polynomials and their freeness (Q1204260)

Let \(\Delta\) be a triangulated region in \(\mathbb{R}^d\). We define \(C^r(\Delta)\) to be the set of piecewise polynomial functions on \(\Delta\) that are continuously differentiable of order \(r\). These functions are called splines, piecewise polynomials, or finite elements. For each \(k\) in \(\mathbb{N}\), we define \(C_k^r(\Delta)\) to be the set of \(F\) in \(C^r (\Delta)\) such that for each \(\sigma\) in \(\Delta\), \(F|_\sigma\) has degree less than or equal to \(k\). \(C^r_k(\Delta)\) is a finite dimensional vector space over \(\mathbb{R}\). Such functions have many practical applications, including the finite element method for solving partial differential equations. More recently, these functions have been studied for computer-aided design, surface modeling and computer graphics. For these and other applications, it is useful to know the dimension of \(C^r_k(\Delta)\) as an \(\mathbb{R}\)-vector space, and to find bases for these spaces. Our approach to this problem is to study the set \(C^r(\Delta)\) where \(\Delta\) is a general polyhedral \(d\)-complex in \(\mathbb{R}^d\). \(C^r(\Delta)\) is not a finite dimensional vector space over \(\mathbb{R}\), but it has a great deal more algebraic structure than the \(C^r_k(\Delta)\). \(C^r(\Delta)\) is a ring (and thus an \(\mathbb{R}\)-algebra) with pointwise multiplication, and becomes a module over \(R=\mathbb{R} [x_1, \dots, x_d]\) by viewing \(R\) inside \(C^r(\Delta)\) as the set of global polynomial functions on \(\Delta\). Our primary interest in this paper is to study the structure of \(C^r(\Delta)\) as an \(R\)-module. The advantage of studying this module is to make explicit the connections between the spaces \(C^r_k(\Delta)\) for various \(k\). Our main focus will be the freeness of \(C^r (\Delta)\) as an \(R\)-module. In general, we look for conditions on \(\Delta,r\) and \(d\) so that the freeness of \(C^r(\Delta)\) will be combinatorially determined, that is, independent of the embedding of \(\Delta\) in \(\mathbb{R}^d\). Such conditions have proved extremely useful, for example, in the study of combinatorial properties of posets and simplicial complexes. In section 3 we show that when \(d=2\), \(C^r(\Delta)\) is free if and only if \(\Delta\) is a manifold (with boundary). A combinatorial characterization of freeness of \(C^r(\Delta)\) is impossible in general for \(d>2\) and \(r>0\). We give an example of a 3-complex where freeness varies with the embedding. In section 4, we completely characterize those simplicial \(\Delta\) for which \(C^0 (\Delta)\) is free; these are the complexes with Cohen-Macaulay links of vertices. If \(\widehat \Delta\) is the homogenization of \(\Delta\), we show that \(C^0(\widehat \Delta)\cong A_\Delta\) as graded algebras. In section 5, we obtain an alternate proof of this result by viewing both rings as inverse limits over the poset \(\Delta\). Finally, in section 6 we generalize the concept of a homogeneous basis to the non-graded case.