\(h\)-shellings and \(h\)-complexes (Q1333232)

The notion of a shelling of a simplicial complex \(\Sigma\), roughly a nice order on its maximal faces, was introduced by \textit{H. Bruggesser} and \textit{P. Mani} [Math. Scand. 29 (1971), 197-205 (1972; Zbl 0251.52013)]. The present authors investigate a further refinement of this idea which they call an \(h\)-shelling, for which an important subcomplex \(\Delta \subset \Sigma\) is identified. If \(\Sigma\) is a triangulation of a \(d\)-sphere, then \(\widetilde H^i (\Delta) \cong \widetilde H_{d-i-1} (\Delta)\) (a form of Alexander Self-duality). The authors also prove further results bout the Euler characteristic of these complexes. There are many interesting examples. The authors treat the case of simplicial complexes which arise in the study of posets which come from hyperplane arrangements. Further, an unpublished result of A. Björner asserts that every finite complex is the \(h\)-complex \(\Delta\) of a simplicial complex of the same dimension which is \(h\)-shellable. Thus, the theory of \(h\)-shellings is rather general, and one might hope for further topological connections.