Saturated simplicial complexes (Q1763879)

If \(\Delta\) is a simplical complex on a vertex set \(\Omega\), then \(Z\Delta\) is a \(Z\)-module with a standard boundary map \(\tau\mapsto \sigma_1-\sigma_2\cdots\pm \sigma_k\) which assigns to the face \(\tau T\) the alternating sum of its codimension \(1\) faces leading to the usual homology sequence (theory) with coefficients in any domain with identity. If instead the mapping \(\partial:\tau\mapsto \sigma_1+ \sigma_2+\cdots+ \sigma_k\) is specified, then modulo \(p\) one also has \(\partial^p= 0\), so that one may attempt to construct (with considerable success) a general modular homology of simplicial complexes, in particular with \(p\) a prime, and which at present has a not insubstantial literature, a good portion due to the present authors. In this quite substantial paper, the complexes under consideration are the shellable and the pure ones. The modular homology of simplexes is visited in detail. Using the embedding theorem for pure shellable complexes previously obtained, \((1,r)\)-saturation and saturation (for all \((1,r)\)) is defined as an isomorphism for a canonical embedding, and thus `maximal'. Dropping shellability, saturation becomes the coincidence of actual and formal Betti numbers. For graphs \(\Gamma\), shellable means connected, and saturated for \(p> 2\) means bipartite. Geometrical and topological aspects of saturation are discussed at length in considerable detail. Using the results derived, it is shown that rank-selected subcomplexes of saturated complexes are also saturated and that if \(\widehat L= L\setminus\{0,1\}\) with \(L\) a geometric lattice, then \(\Delta(\widehat L)\), the associated order complex of \(\widehat L\), is saturated for \(p> 2\). Among the details, it is shown that saturated complexes can be characterized via the \(p\)-rank of incidence matrices via the structure of links. It is made clear once again that this area is replete with an abundance of interesting results, a healthy portion having been served up in a line of considerable consequence to satiate the most interested reader.