\(h^\ast\)-vectors, Eulerian polynomials and stable polytopes of graphs (Q1883700)

For \(P\) an \(m\)-dimensional polytope with integer vertices and \(i(P,r)\) its Ehrhart polynomial, the \(h^*\)-vector of \(P\) is defined by \(h_0^*+h_1^*t+\cdots +h_m^*t^m=(1-t)^{m+1}\sum_{r\geq 0} i(P,r)t^r\). The coefficients \(h_i^*\) are nonnegative integers. In a previous paper [\textit{C. A. Athanasiadis}, ``Ehrhart polynomials, simplicial polytopes, magic squares and a conjecture of Stanley'', to appear in J. Reine Angew. Math.] the author showed that if the vertices of \(P\) can be ordered in such a way that the pulling triangulation is unimodular and for some \(n\), every facet of \(P\) contains exactly \(n-1\) of the first \(n\) vertices in the order, then the \(h^*\)-vector of \(P\) is the same as the \(h\)-vector of some simplicial \((m-n+1)\)-dimensional polytope. In particular, in this case the \(h^*\)-vector is symmetric and unimodal. This paper looks at weakening the hypothesis by requiring each facet to contain at least \(n-1\) of the first \(n\) vertices. The conclusion obtained is a weakening of the symmetry condition to \(h_i^*\geq h_{m-n+1-i}^*\) for \(0\leq i\leq (m-n+1)/2\) and half of the unimodality condition: the \(h^*\)-vector is nonincreasing from the middle on. The main theorem is applied to the order polytope of a poset \(\Omega\), resulting in inequalities on the coefficients of the ``\(\Omega\)-Eulerian polynomial'' of \(\Omega\). It is applied to the stable polytope of certain perfect graphs.