A non-Hausdorff quaternion multiplication. (Q1427777)

A connection between the homotopy theory of finite T\(_0\)-spaces and of compact polyhedra was established by \textit{P. S. Alexandroff} [Rec. Math. Moscou, n. Ser. 2, 501--518 (1937; Zbl 0018.09105)] followed by \textit{M. C. McCord} [Duke Math. J. 33, 465--474 (1966; Zbl 0142.21503)]. McCord showed that every compact polyhedron \(P\) has a finite model, i.e., a finite poset \(X\) and a weak homotopy equivalence \(P\to X\). Each finite poset \(X\) has a barycentric subdivision \(X'\) and a weak homotopy equivalence \(X'\to X\). The authors describe a finite model of a quaternion multiplication in the form of a morphism \(op(\mathbb{S}^3)'\times (\mathbb{S}^3)'\to \mathbb{S}^3\) that restricts to weak homotopy equivalences on the axes, where \((\mathbb{S}^3)'\) denotes the barycentric subdivision of the minimal model \(\mathbb{S}^3\) of the three-dimensional sphere in the category of finite posets and order-preserving functions, and where \(op(\mathbb{S}^3)'\) is the poset obtained by reversing the order relation in \((\mathbb{S}^3)'\).