Characteristic polynomials of subspace arrangements and finite fields (Q2564358)

Let \(A\) be an arrangement of affine subspaces in \({\mathbb{R}}^n\) which is defined over the integers \({\mathbb{Z}}\). Associated to \(A\) is a combinatorial invariant known as its \textit{characteristic polynomial} \[ \chi(A,q): = \sum_{x} \mu(\hat{0},x) q^{dim(x)}. \] Here \(x\) runs over all intersections of subspaces in \(A\), and \(\mu\) denotes the \textit{Möbius function} of the poset of interesections under the reverse inclusion order. The characteristic polynomial is known to have many combinatorial and topological interpretations for arrangements of hyperplanes. The main result of this paper (Theorem 2.2) gives a simple but powerful interpretation of \(\chi(A,q)\), generalizing a result by Crapo and Rota for hyperplane arrangements, and results of Zaslavsky and of Blass and Sagan for arrangements of subspaces embedded in the Coxeter arrangement of type \(B_n\). This new interpretation states that for large primes \(q\), the evaluation \(\chi(A,q)\) is the number of points of the \(n\)-dimensional vector space \({\mathbb{F}}_q^n\) over the field with \(q\) elements which do not lie in \(A\). Here \(A\) is considered as an arrangement in \({\mathbb{F}}_q^n\) by reducing mod \(q\). The author then shows how this innocent-seeming statement allows one to compute \(\chi(A,q)\) for many special families of arrangements, giving new and elegant proofs for some old results, but also many new ones. In particular, he supplies a uniform proof for a result of Blass and Sagan interpreting the characteristic polynomial of a finite Weyl group. He also gives nice formulas for characteristic polynomials of hyperplane arrangements which are ``deformations'' of the classical reflection arrangements of types \(A,B,D\), including the Shi arrangements (\(x_i - x_j = 0,1\) for \(1 \leq i<j \leq n\)) the Linial arrangements (\(x_i - x_j = 1\) for \(1 \leq i<j \leq n\)), and many generalizations of these two. The proofs are all short and elegant, and the historical discussions extremely thorough.