Polygon posets and the weak order of Coxeter groups (Q1893956)

A Coxeter group \((W,S)\) is a group \(W\) together with a distinguished set \(S\) of involutory generators and relations \((s,t)^{m(s,t)} = e\) \((e\) the identity of \(W)\), where \(m(s,t) \geq 2\) for all \(s,t \in S\) and if \(st\) has an infinite order in \(W\) then \(m (s,t) = \infty\). A polygon poset, associated to a Coxeter group \((W,S)\), is a poset \(P\) with a least element 0 and an \(S\)-labelling of the edges of the Hasse diagram satisfying: (a) No two edges incident to the same element of \(P\) have the same label. (b) If there are two edges going upwards (or downwards) from \(p \in P\) labelled by \(x\) and \(y\), then they are the first edges of two upward (or downward respectively) paths from \(p\) of length \(m(x,y)\) labelled alternatively by \(x\) and \(y\). If \(m(x,y) < \infty\), then these paths end in the same element, otherwise this case never occurs. (c) If there is an upward path of length \(m(x,y) < \infty\) from \(p \in P\) alternatingly labelled by \(x\) and \(y\) and beginning with \(x\), then there is also another one beginning with \(y\). It is shown that the weak order on a Coxeter group \((W,S)\) is a polygon poset. Further every polygon poset is isomorphic to a join ideal in the weak order; moreover if \(m(x,y) < \infty\) for every \(x,\;y\) then also the converse is true. The class of polygon posets contains the class of generalized quotients and is contained in the class of alternative generalized quotients. A method of constructing examples of polygon posets allows to answer negatively some questions of Björner and Wachs about properties of alternative generalized quotients. For definitions of generalized quotients and alternative generalized quotients see: ``Generalized quotients in Coxeter groups'' by \textit{A. Björner} and \textit{M. L. Wachs} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 308, 1-37 (1988; Zbl 0659.05007)]. Finally, it is shown that every finite polygon poset can be realized as a position poset of a numbers game, and this is not true for infinite polygon posets.