Discrete line fields on surfaces (Q2222124)

Triangulation of a smooth manifold \(M\) is proven to be a powerful combinatorial tool for producing new topological invariants of \(M\), e.g., the famous Euler characteristic formula of a triangulated surface. A similar approach for the smooth flows on \(M\) has been pioneered by \textit{R. Forman} [Adv. Math. 134, No. 1, 90--145 (1998; Zbl 0896.57023)]. The authors of the paper under review extend Forman's analysis to the smooth singular foliations on a surface. Unlike the case of flows, there is no orientation assigned to leaves and therefore new invariants are required. Even for the generic (Morse-Smale) foliations it is a formidable task, but the authors accomplish it using the concept of a discrete line field represented by pairs \((\mathcal{S}, \mathcal{L})\). In particular, the Forman triangulation becomes a special case of the triangulation by the discrete line fields and many standard results of the smooth foliation theory hold in the discrete case. In the reviewer's opinion, it is a very interesting development with potential applications, e.g. in computer graphics.