A new characterization of \(\mathcal{V} \)-posets (Q781541)

The paper defines a finite poset \(P\) to be ``autonomous'' if there exists a directed acyclic graph \(D\) with adjacency matrix \(U\) whose transitive closure is \(P\), with the property that any total ordering of the vertices of \(D\) so that Gaussian elimination of \(U^tU\) proceeds without row swaps is a linear extension of \(P\). The main theorem of the paper is that a finite poset is autonomous if and only if it is induced \(N\)-free and induced bowtie-free. This class of posets has a ``series-parallel'' type of characterization: by a theorem of \textit{T. Hasebe} and \textit{S. Tsujie} [J. Algebr. Comb. 46, No. 3--4, 499--515 (2017; Zbl 1423.06011)] the class of finite induced \(N\)-free and induced bowtie-free posets is the smallest isomorphism-closed class of posets which (i) contains the \(1\)-element poset, (ii) is closed under the formation of disjoint union, and (iii) is closed under adjoining new least or largest elements.