Upper bound theorems for homology manifolds (Q1282267)

Let \(C_d (n)\subset \mathbb R^d\) be a cyclic \(d\)-polytope with \(n\) vertices. All cyclic polytopes are simplicial [see \textit{G. M. Ziegler}, Lectures on polytopes, Grad. Texts Math. 152 (1995; Zbl 0823.52002)]. The upper bound conjecture (briefly, UBC) proposed by \textit{Th. S. Motzkin} [Math. Z. 63, 341-344 (1955; Zbl 0068.25201)] asserts that if \(P\) is a simplicial \(d\)-polytope with \(f_0=n\) vertices, then for every \(k=1,\dots, d-1\), \(f_k (P)\leq f_k (C_d(n))\), where \(f_k(P)\) [resp. \( f_k (C_d (n)) ] \) denotes the number of \(k\)-dimensional faces of \(P\) [resp. \(C_d (n)\)]. \textit{V. Klee} [Can. J. Math. 16, 701-720 (1964; Zbl 0128.17201)] conjectured that the assertion of the UBC holds for all Eulerian complexes and proved it for Eulerian complexes with sufficiently large number of vertices. \textit{P. McMullen} [Mathematika, London 17, 179-184 (1970; Zbl 0217.46703)] gave a complete proof of the UBC for polytopes, and \textit{R. P. Stanley} [Studies appl. Math. 54, 135-142 (1975; Zbl 0308.52009); Combinatorics and commutative algebra, Progr. Math. 41 (1983; Zbl 0537.13009)] proved the UBC for arbitrary triangulations of spheres. The geometric realization \(X\) of a finite simplicial complex is called a homology manifold if for any \(p \in X\) and any \(k< \dim X\), \(H_k (X, X -p)=0\) and \(H_{\dim X} (X, X-p) \approx \mathbb Z\), where \(H_k (X, X-p)\) is the \(k\)-th relative singular homology with coefficients \(\mathbb Z\). The author proves the UBC for several classes of homology manifolds: all odd-dimensional homology manifolds, all even-dimensional homology manifolds that are Eulerian as simplicial complexes, and, in fact, an even larger class of homology manifolds. The analog of the UBC for arbitrary even-dimensional homology manifolds is also obtained. Upper bounds on weighted sums of the Betti numbers of homology manifolds are established. Some conjectures concerning the combinatorial structure of the shifted basis of the Stanley-Reisner ring of a triangulation of a topological manifold and relations between the face numbers and the Betti numbers of triangulated manifolds to which these conjectures lead are considered.