The moduli space of \(n\) tropically collinear points in \(\mathbb R^d\) (Q1769790)

The space of \(n\) labeled points on a line in \(R^d\) has a rather simple form -- modulo translations, it may be interpreted as the space of \((n-1)\times d\) matrices of rank 1, and so it is reduced to \(P^{d-1}\times R^{n-1}\). Contrary to this classical case, the space of \(n\) points on a line in tropical \(d\)-space is more complicated. (By definition, the tropical semi-ring is \(\{R, \min, +\}\), i.e. the tropical addition of reals returns the ordinary minimum, \(a\oplus b = \min (a,b)\), and the tropical multiplication is defined via the ordinary addition, \(a\odot b = a+b\).) Understanding this space of point configurations is important for the study of phylogenetic trees, other motivations come from the theory of optimisation, see [\textit{M. Develin} and \textit{B. Sturmfels}, Doc. Math., J. DMV 9, 1--27 (2004; Zbl 1054.52004), \textit{D. Speyer} and \textit{B. Sturmfels}, Adv. Geom. 4, No. 3, 389--411 (2004; Zbl 1065.14071), \textit{A. Barvinok, D. S. Johnson, G. J. Woeginger} and \textit{R. Woodroofe}, Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 1412, 195--201 (1998; Zbl 0910.90259), \textit{A. Dress, V. Moulton} and \textit{W. Terhalle}, Eur. J. Comb. 17, No. 2--3, 161--175 (1996; Zbl 0853.54027)]. The space of labeled \(n\)-point configurations lying on a tropical line in \(d\)-space is equivalent to the space of \(n\times d\)-matrices of tropical rank two, a simplicial complex \(V\). It is conjectured that \(V\) is shellable, and the conjecture is proven for \(d=3\). Moreover, the author carefully analyses the subcomplex of \(V\) formed by \(n\times d\)-matrices of Barvinok rank two (see Barvinok et al., loc. cit.); it is demonstrated that this subcomplex of \(V\) is not shellable and even has torsion in its homology.