Quotient complexes and lexicographic shellability (Q1862992)

The partition lattice \(\Pi_n\) of the set \(\{1,\dots,n\}\) appears in various contexts in algebraic and topological combinatorics. One interpretation of \(\Pi_n\) is as the intersection lattice \(L({\mathcal A}_n)\) of the braid arrangement, which is the arrangement of reflecting hyperplanes of a Coxeter group of type \(A_{n-1}\). Similarly, the arrangements \({\mathcal D}_n=:{\mathcal D}_{n,2}\) and \({\mathcal B}_n=:{\mathcal B}_{n,2,1}\) of reflecting hyperplanes of Coxeter groups of type \(D_n\) and \(B_n\) are special cases of \(k\)-equal subspace arrangements \({\mathcal D}_{n,k}\) of type \(D_n\) and of \(k\), \(h\)-equal subspace arrangements \({\mathcal B}_{n,k,h}\), \(h<k\), of type \(B_n\) [ see \textit{A. Björner} and \textit{B. Sagan}, J. Algebr. Comb. 5, 291--314 (1996; Zbl 0864.57031)] with corresponding intersection lattices \(\Pi_{n,k,k}\) and \(\Pi_{n,k,h}\), \(h<k\), respectively. By making use of \textit{R. Forman}'s discrete Morse theory [Adv. Math. 134, 90--145 (1998; Zbl 0896.57023)], \textit{D. Kozlov} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 128, 2253--2259 (2000; Zbl 0939.05086)] showed that the quotient \(\Delta(\Pi_n)/S_n\) of the order complex \(\Delta(\Pi_n)\) with respect to the action of the symmetric group \(S_n\) is collapsible. In this paper, the author proves that also \(\Delta(\Pi_{n,k,k})/S_n^B\) is collapsible, where \(S_n^B\) is the group of signed permutations. Moreover, he shows that for \(n\equiv 0\pmod{k}\) and for \(n\equiv h\pmod{k}\) the complex \(\Delta(\Pi_{n,k,h})/S_n^B\), \(h<k\), is homotopy equivalent to a sphere and is contractible otherwise. These results are then used to determine the multiplicity of the trivial characters of the induced representations of \(S_n^B\) on the homology groups of \(\Delta(\Pi_{n,k,k})\) and \(\Delta(\Pi_{n,k,h})\).