Some stumbling first steps towards linear homology in a nutshell

Abstract: In 1985 Bayer and Billera defined a flag vector

f (X)

for every convex polytope

X

, and proved some fundamental properties. The flag vectors

f (X)

span a graded ring

. Here

m a t h c a l R_{d}

is the span of the

f (X)

with

d i m X = d

. It has dimension the Fibonacci number

F_{d + 1}

. This paper introduces and explores the conjecture, that

m a t h c a l R

has a counting basis

e_{i}

. If true then the equation

f (X) = s u m g_{i} (X) e_{i}

conjecturally provides a formula for the Betti numbers

g_{i} (X)

of a new homology theory. As the

g_{i} (X)

are linear functions of

f (X)

, we call the new theory linear homology. Further, assuming the conjecture each

g_{i}

will have a rank

r g e q 0

. The rank zero part of linear homology will be (middle perversity) intersection homology. The higher rank

g_{i}

measure successively more complicated singularities. In dimension

d

we will have

d i m m a t h c a l R_{d}

linearly independent Betti numbers. This paper produces a basis

e_{i}

for

m a t h c a l R

, that is conjecturally a counting basis. Warning: Conjecture withdrawn in version 2.

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