Iterated homology and decompositions of simplicial complexes (Q5937682)

There is a conjecture by Kalai that a simplicial complex can be partitioned into Boolean algebras at least as roughly as a shifting-preserving collapse sequence of its algebraically shifted complex. If the conjecture holds, then a simplicial complex could be partitioned into Boolean intervals whose sizes are indexed by its iterated Betti numbers, a generalization of ordinary homology Betti numbers. This would imply a long-standing conjecture made (seperately) by Garsia and Stanley concerning partitions of Cohen-Macauley complexes into Boolean intervals. In the paper under review the authors prove a relaxation of Kalai's conjecture, showing that a simplicial complex can be partitioned into recursively defined spanning trees of Boolean intervals indexed by its iterated Betti numbers.