Embedding dimensions of simplicial complexes on few vertices (Q6084668)

In this article the authors investigate conditions under which a simplicial complex on \(d+3\) vertices embeds into the \(d\)-sphere \(S^d\). For example, as one of the results, if \(F\) is a family of subsets of \( [d + 3] \) then \(\Sigma\left (\mathit{F} \right)\), which is a maximal complex obtained from \( [d + 3] \) by setting each element of \(F\) as a non-face of \(\Sigma\left (\mathit{F} \right)\), embeds into \(S^d\) if and only if \(F\) is not an intersecting family i.e. there are at least two elements in \(F\), which are disjoint subsets of \( [d + 3] \). By using this result the authors give a topological extension of the Erdős-Ko-Rado Theorem and also prove the classical Van Kampen-Flores theorem which states that for any continuous map \(f: \Delta _{2d+2}^{d} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^{2d} \), there exist disjoint simplices \(\sigma\) and \(\tau\) of \(\Delta _{2d+2}^{d}\) such that \(f(\sigma) \bigcap f(\tau) = \phi \). It is shown that if \(\Sigma\left (\mathit{F} \right) \) has fewer than \(\binom{d+2}{k}\) faces of dimension \(k-1\), where \(k\leq \left \lfloor \frac{d+3}{2} \right \rfloor\), then \(\Sigma\left (\mathit{F} \right) \) embeds into \(S^d\). It is also shown that \(\Sigma\left (\mathit{F} \right) \) embeds into \(\mathbb{R}^d\) (respectively, \(S^d\)) if and only if it embeds linearly into \(\mathbb{R}^d\) (respectively, geodesically into \(S^d\)). Some open problems are also suggested by the authors. For instance, Brehm constructed a 9 vertex Mobius strip that does not linearly embed into \(\mathbb{R}^3\), which shows embedability and linear embedability into \(\mathbb{R}^d\) are two different concepts for complexes on \(d + 6\) vertices. However, it remains an open problem whether these notions of embeddability coincide for simplicial complexes on \(d + 4\) or \(d +5\) vertices.