Some properties of a higher-order coboundary operator (Q1805050)

Let \([n]= \{1,\dots, n\}\). Let \(W_{r,s}\) be the matrix whose rows are indexed by the \(r\)-subsets of \([n]\), whose columns are indexed by the \(s\)-subsets of \([n]\), and whose entry \(W_{r, s}(R, S)\) with \(R= \{i_ 1,\dots, i_ r\}\), \(i_ 1<\cdots< i_ r\), \(S= \{j_ 1,\dots, j_ s\}\), \(j_ 1<\cdots< j_ s\), is defined by \[ W_{r, s}(R, S)= \begin{cases} (- 1)^{m(R, S)}\quad & \text{if } R\supseteq S,\\ 0\quad & \text{otherwise},\end{cases} \] where \(m(R, S)\) is the number of pairs \((\alpha, \beta)\) such that \(\alpha< \beta\), \(\alpha\in S\), and \(\beta\in R\backslash S\). The main result of the paper is a formula for the rank of \(W_{r, s}\) modulo a prime \(p\). The proof is based on an approach of \textit{R. M. Wilson} in [A diagonal form for the incidence matrices of \(t\)- subsets vs. \(k\)-subsets, Eur. J. Comb. 11, No. 6, 609-615 (1990; Zbl 0747.05016)]. Further results for the kernel of the associated coboundary operators and cohomology groups are derived. In particular, generalizations and new proofs for theorems of \textit{F. R. K. Chung} and \textit{R. L. Graham} [Cohomological aspects of hypergraphs, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 334, No. 1, 365-388 (1992; Zbl 0772.05073)] are obtained.