Matching cells (Q6058326)

Consider \(X\) a polyhedral cellular complex and \(Y\subseteq X\) a subcomplex. A matching on \(X\) relative to \(Y\) or a \textbf{matching on the pair \((X,Y)\)} is a partition on the set of cells \(X \) which are not in \(Y\) into incident pairs. The pair \((X,Y)\) is said to be matchable if there exists a matching on the pair \((X,Y)\). If \(Y=\emptyset\) then \(X\) is said to be matchable. All manifolds and triangulations in this paper are considered to be smooth. The following lemma is used throughout the paper and plays an important role in the proofs of the main results. \textbf{Lemma:} If \(H_{\ast}(X,Y)=0\) then \((X,Y)\) is matchable. The first main result of the paper is the following, and its proof is by induction over \(n\). \textbf{Theorem:} Let \(M\) be a rational homology sphere of odd dimension. Then any triangulation and every polyhedral cellulation of \(M\) is matchable. \textbf{Corollary:} Let \(M\) be a closed connected \(3\)-manifold whose first Betti number is \(1\). Then every polyhedral cellulation of \(M\) is matchable. The second main theorem is the following. \textbf{Theorem:} Let \(M\) be a compact connected manifold with smooth boundary, and let \(\partial_0 M\) be a union of connected components of \(\partial M\) such that the relative Euler characteristic \(\chi (M,\partial_0M) = \chi(M) - \chi(\partial_0M)\) is zero. Then every triangulation of \(M\) is matchable relative to \(\partial_0M\). The author gives two proofs of this last theorem; one of the two proofs is constructive, uses round handle decompositions, and works in any dimension different from three. The other proof uses the following theorem, which is also proven in this paper: \textbf{Theorem:} Let \(M\) be a compact \(n\)-dimensional manifold with smooth boundary. If a non singular vector field \(\triangledown\) is transverse to every \(n-1\)-simplex of \(X\), then \(\partial M\) splits as the disjoint union of \( \partial_s (M \triangledown)\) and \( \partial_u (M \triangledown)\) where \(\triangledown\) enters and exits \(M\), respectively and the pair \((X, \partial_u (M \triangledown))\) is matchable. \textbf{Corollary:} Every closed connected manifold whose Euler characteristic vanishes admits a matchable triangulation. The author gives several examples of both matchable complexes as well as non matchable complexes whose Euler characteristc vanishes. Finally, the author finishes with the open question: Let \(n\) be an odd integer, is every triangulation of every closed \(n\)-manifold matchable?