The pre-WDVV ring of physics and its topology (Q2583526)

Let \(\overline{M}_{0,n}\) denote the Deligne-Mumford compactification of the moduli space of rational curves with \(n\) marked points. A description of the cohomology ring of \(\overline{M}_{0,n}\) was given in \textit{S. Keel} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc., 330, 545--574 (1992; Zbl 0768.14002)]. This ring is referred to as the WDVV ring throughout the paper, since it is known that from Keel's presentation of this ring and the splitting axiom for Gromov-Witten invariants, it is possible to deduce the Witten-Dijkgraaf-Verlinde-Verlinde equations. Let \(\sigma\) be a partition of the set \(\{1,\hdots,n\}\) into two subsets \(S_{1},S_{2}\) both having cardinality greater than one. Let \(x_{\sigma}\) be the cohomology class represented by the closure in \(\overline{M}_{0,n}\) of the locus of reducible curves with two components in a way that the \(i\)'th component contains precisely the marked points indexed by \(S_{i}\) for \(i\in \{1,2\}\). Then, from Keel's presentation, it is known that the WDVV ring is generated by the \(x_{\sigma}\), with linear and quadratic relations among them which can be explicitly listed. The ring generated by the \(x_{\sigma}\) modulo the ideal generated by just the quadratic relations in this list is called the pre-WDVV ring throughout the paper. The author proves that the pre-WDVV ring coincides with the Stanley-Reisner ring of a certain simplicial complex, the Whitehouse complex, denoted by \(\Delta_{n}\) (whose description is fully provided in the paper). It is mentioned that this complex coincides with Boardman's space of fully grown \(n\)-trees. Afterwards, the author defines \(5\) maps from \(\Delta_{n}\) to \(\Delta_{n+1}\), and consequently derives a recursion leading to the computation of the Hilbert series of the pre-WDVV ring. In section 4, the author proves that \(\Delta_{n}\) is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of \((n-2)!\) spheres of dimension \(n-4\), by using a discrete version of Morse theory devised by \textit{R. Forman} [Adv. Math. , 134, 90--145 (1998; Zbl 0896.57023)] to study the topology of simplicial complexes. In section 5, the author proves that the pre-WDVV ring is Cohen-Macaulay by making use of \textit{G. Reisner's} criterion [Adv. Math. , 21, 30--49 (1976; Zbl 0345.13017)] and a lemma showing that the link of every face in the Whitehouse complex is the wedge of a certain number of equidimensional spheres. In the final section of the paper, the author remarks that the pre-WDVV ring is Koszul, and that \(\Delta_{n}\) is not the same complex as the complex of not \(1\)-connected graphs on \(n+1\) vertices. The problems of finding natural combinatorial objects corresponding to the Hilbert series of the WDVV ring and determining whether or not the pre-WDVV and WDVV rings are Gorenstein are posed as open questions.