Finite spaces and an axiomatization of the Lefschetz number

The author gives an axiomatic description of the Lefschetz number for continuous maps on finite \(T_0\) spaces. If \(X\) is a finite \(T_0\) space and \(x\in X\), denote by \(U_x\) the intersection of all open sets containing \(x\). Define a partial ordering on \(X\) by setting \(x\le y\) if \(x\in U_y\). With \(X\) we associate a simplicial complex \(K(X)\) with simplices being the nonempty chains of \(\le\). As a continuous map between finite \(T_0\) spaces, \(f:X\to Y\), is order preserving so it induces a simplicial map \(K(f):K(X)\to K(Y)\). Conversely, with a (finite) simplicial complex \(R\) we can associate a finite space \(\Xi(R)\) the points now being the simplices of \(R\) ordered by inclusion. \(X':=\Xi(K(X))\) then serves as the barycentric subdivision of \(X\). Define inductively \(X^{(0)}:=X\) and \(X^{(n+1)}:=(X^{(n)})'\). There is a weak homotopy equivalence \(p_1:X'\to X\) with \(p_1(C):=\max C\) for each chain \(C\) and analogously \(p_n:X^{(n)}\to X^{(n-1)}\). Before we come to the Lefschetz number we need one more concept. Let \(X:=\{1,\dotsc,2k\}\) and define an ordering of \(X\) by \(1\le2\ge3\le4\ge5\le\dotsb\le2k\ge1\) and denote the associated space by \(\mathcal{S}^{(1,k)}\). Let then \(\tilde{X}\) be a subdivision of \(X\) and \(f:\tilde{X}\to X\) a map. Since \(p_n:X^{(n)}\to X\) is a weak homotopy equivalence the induced map \(p^n_*:H_k(X^{(n)})\to H_k(X)\) is an isomorphism and we may define the generalized Lefschetz number as \(\mathcal{L}(f):=\sum_{k=0}^\infty\operatorname{tr}(\tilde{f}_k\circ(p_n)_k^{-1})\). The author then gives the following characterization of the reduced (i.e., using reduced homology) Lefschetz number. One starts with two finite spaces with the same cardinality, but then one may assume that they have the same underlying set. Then the reduced generalized Lefschetz number is the unique function \(\lambda\) from all maps \(\tilde{X}\to X\) (where \(\tilde{X}\) is a subdivision of \(X\)) to the integers satisfying the following conditions: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] If \(\tilde{X}_1\) and \(\tilde{X}_2\) are subdivisions of \(X\) and \(f:\tilde{X}_1\to X\) and \(g:\tilde{X}_2\to X\) are contiguous then \(\lambda(f)=\lambda(g).\) \item[(2)] If \(A\subset X\) and \(f:X^{(n)}\to X\) and if \[ \begin{tikzcd} A^{(n+1)} \ar[r] \ar[d, "\hat{f}' "] &X^{(n+1)} \ar[r] \ar[d, "f' "] &X^{(n+1)}/A^{(n+1)} \ar[d, "\bar{f}' "]\\ A' \ar[r] &X' \ar[r] &X'/A' \end{tikzcd} \] is commutative then \(\lambda(f')=\lambda(\hat{f}')+\lambda(\bar{f}')\). \item[(3)] For any \(f:X^{(n)}\to Y\) and \(g:Y^{(m)}\to X\) we have that \(\lambda(gf^{(m)})=\lambda(fg^{(n)})\). \item[(4)] If \(f:\bigvee_{i=1}^n\mathcal{S}^{1,k}\to\bigvee_{i=1}^k\mathcal{S}^{1,2}\) then \(\lambda(f)=-(\deg f_1+\dotsb+\deg f_n)\) where \(e_j:\mathcal{S}^{1,k}\to\bigvee_{i=1}^n\mathcal{S}^{1,k}\) are the inclusions, \(p_j:\bigvee\mathcal{S}^{1,2}\to\mathcal{S}^{1,3}\) are the projections, \(f_j=p_jfe_j:\mathcal{S}^{1,k}\to\mathcal{S}^{1,2}\), and \(\deg\) is (cum grano salis) the ordinary degree for maps between spheres. There is a similar characterization of the Euler number. \end{itemize}

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