Peak quasisymmetric functions and Eulerian enumeration (Q1400995)

Recent work of \textit{R. Ehrenborg} [Adv. Math. 119, 1-25 (1996; Zbl 0851.16033)] and many others, including \textit{M. Aguiar} [Discrete Comput. Geom. 27, 3-28 (2001; Zbl 1011.05061)] has established a deep connection between Hopf algebraic structures of posets and of quasi-symmetric functions, \(Q\). In brief, Ehrenborg showed that a basic enumerative invariant of ranked posets, their flag \(f\)-vector, induces a Hopf morphism to \(Q\), and Aguiar showed that this morphism is unique, as it comes from a universal property possessed by \(Q\). One consequence of their work is to highlight the flag \(f\)-vector as the natural invariant for ranked posets. The flag \(f\)-vector of an Eulerian poset (e.g. the face lattice of a polytope) satisfies the linear Bayer-Billera relations [\textit{M. M. Bayer} and \textit{L. J. Billera}, Invent. Math. 79, 143-157 (1985; Zbl 0553.52008)]. Thus other, more compact encodings are possible. One such is the \textbf{cd}-index of an Eulerian poset, whose construction is rather ad hoc [\textit{M. M. Bayer} and \textit{A. Klapper}, Discrete Comput. Geom. 6, 33-47 (1991; Zbl 0761.52009)]. While clearly convenient, it was not immediately apparent that the \textbf{cd}-index was the correct such encoding. The Bayer-Billera relations also imply that Ehrenborg's flag \(f\)-vector quasi-symmetric function takes values in Stembridge's peak (Hopf) subalgebra \(\Pi\) of \(Q\) [\textit{M. M. Bergeron} et al., Discrete Math. 246, 57-66 (2002; Zbl 0996.05117)]. One indication that the \textbf{cd}-index could be natural is that it transforms nicely under certain polytope constructions [\textit{R. Ehrenborg} et al., Discrete Comput. Geom. 23, 261-271 (2000; Zbl 0956.52012)]. In the paper under review, Billera, Hsaio, and van Willigenburg remove any doubts about the naturality of the \textbf{cd}-index. The peak algebra of Stembridge has a natural basis of peak quasi-symmetric functions, and the main result of this paper is that the coefficients of the expansion of the flag \(f\)-vector quasi-symmetric function in terms of the peak functions are exactly the coefficients of \textbf{c}\(2\)\textbf{d}-monomials in the \textbf{cd}-index of the poset. There are further gems in this paper: Stembridge defines a natural map from \(Q\) to \(\Pi\) (which can be seen to arise from Aguiar's universal property) which is not a projection map. The authors determine the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of this map and relate it to the distribution of peak sets of permutations in the corresponding symmetric group. A consequence is that the image of the quasi-symmetric function coming from a geometric lattice is the quasi-symmetric function of the corresponding zonotope. Lastly, they show that the \(g\)-polynomial of an Eulerian poset is the image of its quasi-symmetric function under a natural algebra map to polynomials. The afore-mentioned work of Ehrenborg and Aguiar opened up the possibility for a deeper understanding of relations between algebraic structures of \(\Pi\) and \(Q\) and of ranked and Eulerian posets. This paper is one of the first to begin exploiting these possibilities.