The r-cubical lattice and a generalization of the cd-index (Q2563524)

If \(M_r = \underline r\oplus\underline 1\) is the ordinal sum of an antichain (\(r\)-set) and a singleton, then the \(r\)-cubical lattices are constructed as \(\underline 1\oplus M^n_r\), i.e., with a singleton minimal element attached. These \(r\)-cubical lattices are finite graded posets. Accordingly, let \(P\) be such a poset of rank \(n+1\) with \(\widehat 0\) and \(\widehat 1\). If the rank function is \(\rho\), then for \(S\subseteq[n]=\{1,2,\dots,n\}\), define the \(S\)-rank-selected subposet to be \(P(S)= \{x\in P\mid \rho(x)\in S\}\cup\{\widehat 0,\widehat 1\}\) with \(\alpha(S)=\alpha_p(S)\) denoting the number of maximal chains in \(P(S)\), while the beta-invariant \(\beta(S)=\beta_p(S)\) is defined by \(\beta(S)=\sum_{T\subseteq S}(-1)^{1S-T1}\alpha(T)\). These invariants represent important properties of posets and vice-versa their adequate computation depends on good structural information about \(P\) and its associated order complex. Using noncommutative variables \(a\) and \(b\), \(u_s=u_1\cdots u_n\), where \(u_i=a\) if \(i\not\in S\) and \(u_i=b\) if \(i\in S\). Then \(\psi(P)=\sum_{S\subseteq [n]}\beta_p(S)u_s\) is the ab-index. If \(P\) is of a special type (e.g., Eulerian) then \(c=a+b\), \(d=ab+ba\), permits \(\psi(P)\) to be written as a polynomial in \(c\) and \(d\), the cd-index, whose properties imply important symmetry properties of \(P\). The authors are able to extract a number of properties of both the ab- and the cd-version of \(\psi(P)\) when \(P=\underline 1\oplus M_{r_1}\times\cdots\times M_{r_k}\) and then to relate these properties to a variety of other combinatorial structures (e.g. signed André permutations) as well as provide old and new results with elegant proofs, e.g. Theorem F 5 and its Corollary F 6: that if \({\mathbf r}=(r_1,\dots,r_n)\), where \(r_i\succeq 2\) and \(r_{i_0}\succeq 3\) for some \(i_0\), then the rank-selection \(\{1,3,5,\dots\}\cap[n]\) maximizes \(\beta(S)\) uniquely on \(C^r\).