On the diameter of dual graphs of Stanley-Reisner rings and Hirsch type bounds on abstractions of polytopes (Q1753029)

Let \(R\) be an equidimensional commutative Noetherian ring of positive dimension. One says that \(R\) satisfies the Serre's condition (\(S_{\ell}\)), if for every \(P\in \mathrm{Spec}(R)\), the inequality \(\text{depth}\;R_P\geq \min\{\ell,\dim R_P\}\) holds true. The dual graph \(\mathcal{G}(R)\) of \(R\) is defined as follows: the vertices are the minimal prime ideals of \(R\), and the edges are the pairs of prime ideals \((P_1, P_2)\) with \(\text{height}(P_1+P_2)=1\). It is well-known that \(\mathcal{G}(R)\) is a connected graph provided that \(R\) satisfies the Serre's condition (\(S_2\)). Let \(\mu(d,n)\) be the largest diameter of a dual graph of an (\(S_2\)) Stanley-Reisner ring of dimension \(d\) and codimension \(n-d\). In the paper under review, the author provides lower and upper bounds for \(\mu(d,n)\). For example, it is shown that (i) \(\mu(3,n)\leq \max(2n-10, n-2)\), for any \(n\geq 3\), (ii) \(\mu(d,n) \leq 2^{d-2}(n-d)\), for all \(d\geq 2\) and all \(n\geq d\), (iii) \(\mu(d,d+k)\leq 3.2^{\frac{n-d-5}{2}}(n-d)\), for all \(d\geq 2\), (iv) \(\mu(4,4k+4)\geq 6k\), (v) \(\mu(3,8k+2) \geq 10k-1\) and (vi) \(\mu (3,8k+3+j) \geq 10k+j+1\), for all \(j\geq 4\). The bounds are used to determine \(\mu(d,n)\) for small values of \(d\) and \(n\). Dual graphs of (\(S_2\)) Stanley-Reisner rings are a natural abstraction of the \(1\)-skeletons of polyhedra. The author discusses how his results imply new Hirsch-type bounds on \(1\)-skeletons of polyhedra.