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1 vote
0 answers
69 views

"Bad" valid edge contractions

In this paper, an edge contraction of a simplicial complex $\Gamma$ is defined as the operation of removing the neighborhood $N_e\Gamma$ of the edge $e=\{0,1\}$ and identifying $N_0\partial N_e\Gamma$ ...
8 votes
1 answer
224 views

Can increasing the winding number of a 2-cell make a CW complex embeddable?

Let $X$ be a 2-dimensional CW complex and let $c\subset X$ be a 2-cell attached along a simple closed loop $\gamma$ in the 1-skeleton $X^{(1)}$. For a natural number $n\ge 2$ consider the operation of ...
9 votes
1 answer
790 views

Properties a triangulation must have in order to describe a manifold

I am mainly interested in the $3$-dimensional case. It is a well-known fact, following from the work of E. E. Moise and R. H. Bing in the 1950s, that every $3$-dimensional topological manifold (with ...
4 votes
1 answer
169 views

"Almost embedding" the complete 2-dimensional complex $\mathcal K_7^2$ into $\Bbb R^4$

Let $\mathcal K_7^2$ be the complete 2-dimensional simplicial complex on seven vertices, i.e. it has all $7\choose 2$ edges and all $7\choose 3$ 2-simplices (and no higher-dimensional simplices). I ...
3 votes
1 answer
431 views

Detecting a PL sphere and decompositions

Question 1. A PL $n$-sphere is a pure simplicial complex that is a triangulation of the $n$-sphere. I'm looking for a computer algorithm that gives a Yes/No answer to whether a given simplicial ...
1 vote
0 answers
68 views

Complex of groups of an orbifold

I have just started to look a bit into orbifolds. The English Wikipedia page mentions that there is a complex of groups associated to an (effective) orbifold. However I couldn't manage to find the ...
9 votes
0 answers
186 views

What is an intuitive explanation for a manifold to have no triangulation?

It is known that some topological manifolds, even compact and simply-connected ones, do not have admit a triangulation. One example is the E8 manifold in a dimension as low as $4$. I am trying to ...
5 votes
0 answers
188 views

Triangulating piecewise-linear manifolds

Question 1: Is this the mainstream definition of a PL-manifold? Definition. A PL-manifold is a manifold with an atlas $(\varphi_i)_{i\in I}$ in which all transition maps $\varphi_j\circ\varphi_i^{-1}$ ...
6 votes
2 answers
368 views

Does every triangulable manifold have a vertex-transitive triangulation?

Does every triangulable manifold have a vertex-transitive triangulation? When I talk about a vertex-transitive triangulation of a manifold, I mean in the sense of realizing a manifold homeomorphically ...
6 votes
1 answer
479 views

Abstract simplicial complexes - Reference for an elementary definition of mapping degree for simplicial maps?

I am interested to use the mapping degree for simplicial maps between (oriented) abstract simplicial complexes. What I mean by "elementary": My preference would be to use a definition of ...
5 votes
3 answers
542 views

If a polyhedron in $\mathbb{R}^3$ has local intersections, does it also have more global intersections?

Consider a simplicial complex $K$. A piecewise linear map $f: K \to \mathbb{R}^n$ is an almost-embedding if $f(\sigma) \cap f(\tau) = \emptyset$ for any two disjoint simplices $\sigma,\tau$ in $K$. ...
4 votes
0 answers
263 views

Does this "join-like complex" of $K_5$ and $K_3$ embed in $\Bbb R^4$?

Consider the following 2-dimensional CW-complex: its 1-skeleton is $K_8$, which we write as an edge-disjoint union $K_5\cup K_{5,3}\cup K_3$. Then for any two edges $ab\in E(K_5)$ and $cd\in E(K_3)$ ...
1 vote
0 answers
160 views

Simplicial sets and oriented simplicial complexes

$\DeclareMathOperator\Sing{Sing}$I'm writing a paper about simplicial sets and how they may “replace” simplicial complexes in some known results. To do this, we need to check that they induces the ...
4 votes
1 answer
111 views

A neighborhood of a 2-disc $D\subset\Bbb R^4$ that tapers off towards the boundary?

I am given a PL 2-disc $D\subset\Bbb R^4$ (everything PL from here on) and I need a "neighborhood" $N\simeq B^4$ (PL-homeomorphic to a 4-ball) so that $\partial N\cap D=\partial D$. If I got ...
3 votes
0 answers
88 views

Is the thickening of a PL 2-disc in $\Bbb R^4$ a 4-ball?

Let $D\subset\Bbb R^4$ be a PL-embedded 2-dimensional disc. Let $N=D+K$ be a thickening of the disc, where $K$ is some sufficiently small 4-dimensional PL-ball and "$+$" means Minkowski ...
4 votes
0 answers
183 views

In how far does the Whitney trick work in the piecewise linear setting in $\Bbb R^4$?

I usually read about the Whitney trick in the context of smooth manifolds, but I wonder in how far it works in the piecewise linear (PL) category as well. I have a specific setting in mind that I will ...
96 votes
4 answers
10k views

Which manifolds are homeomorphic to simplicial complexes?

This question is only motivated by curiosity; I don't know a lot about manifold topology. Suppose $M$ is a compact topological manifold of dimension $n$. I'll assume $n$ is large, say $n\geq 4$. The ...
8 votes
1 answer
431 views

Contractible subcomplex containing 1-skeleton?

Question: If $X$ is a simplicial complex that's simply connected and $2$-dimensional, does there always exist a contractible subcomplex $Y$ satisfying $X^{(1)} \subseteq Y$? The statement is true &...
4 votes
1 answer
304 views

Do combinatorially equivalent polytopes have the same triangulations?

A triangulation of a convex polytope $P\subset\Bbb R^n$ is a partition of $P$ into $n$-simplices $\{\Delta_1,...,\Delta_m\}$ each of which has all its vertices among the vertices of $P$. A polytope ...
8 votes
0 answers
123 views

Is every simplicial $d$-sphere linearly embeddable in $\Bbb R^{d+1}$?

A simplicial $d$-sphere is a simplicial complex homeomorphic to the $d$-sphere. It is known that not every such complex can be embedded into $\Bbb R^{d+1}$ as the boundary complex of a convex ...
1 vote
1 answer
134 views

Annulus theorem for pseudomanifolds

Lets say I take an arbitrary closed and smooth $d$-manifolds $\mathcal{M}$. Now, it is a well-known fact that whenever I take two (sufficiently nice embedded) closed $d$-balls $B_{1}$ and $B_{2}$ in $\...
0 votes
0 answers
260 views

Another definition of singular homology

The singular homology is defined via standard simplex. Now if I propose another definition of singular homology groups, based on arbitrary simplex, as follows: Let $X$ be a topological space. A $n$-...
7 votes
1 answer
236 views

Are there simplicial spheres with "non-geometric symmetries"?

Let $\Delta$ be a simplicial sphere, that is, a finite (abstract) simplicial complex whose canonical geometric realization $|\Delta|$ is homeomorphic to a sphere $\mathbf S^d\subset\Bbb R^{d+1}$. ...
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is a subdivision of an abstract simplicial complex?

I am looking for the definition of the subdivision of a simplicial complex. When the complex is defined in a geometric way, then the definition is pretty simple : the complex σ(C) is a subdivision of ...
11 votes
1 answer
683 views

Fixed-point-free group action on a finite, contractible, 3-dimensional simplicial complex

Let $K$ be a finite simplicial complex with an admissible action of a finite group $G$. (Terminology: By an action of a group $G$ on $K$ I mean an action by simplicial automorphisms. The action is ...
3 votes
0 answers
191 views

Skeleton of $\mathcal{G}$-simplicial complex

I'm trying to prove a result with simplicial complex endowed with an action of a groupoid. Let start with a formal definition : $\textbf{Definition.}$ [$\mathcal{G}$-simplicial complex] Let $\mathcal{...
8 votes
0 answers
170 views

Is there a combinatorial representation of general topological manifolds similar to triangulations?

Piece-wise linear manifolds are combinatorially represented by simplicial complexes modulo Pachner moves. However, for dimensions greater than $3$, the notions of piece-wise linear and topological ...
3 votes
0 answers
152 views

On a generalization of the Borsuk-Ulam theorem / Tucker's lemma for a map from simplex to its boundary

The Borsuk-Ulam theorem is equivalent to $S^{n-1}$ not being a retract of $B^n$. <totally wrong! or else 2+2=4 is equivalent to the Poincare conjecture/thm> How shall i prove the following ...
10 votes
1 answer
605 views

Non-triangulable 4-manifold as a boundary of some 5 manifold

We know that there are non-triangulable 4-manifolds, such as the E$_8$ manifold. Can E$_8$ manifold be a boundary of some 5-manifold $M_5$? Can such a $M_5$ be triangulable or non-triangulable? What ...
6 votes
1 answer
115 views

Subdivision of closed homology manifold reference request

I am interested in the barycentric subdivision of closed homology manifolds. Definition A (finite) simplicial complex $K$ is a closed homology manifold of dimension $n$ if for every $k$-simplex, its ...
8 votes
0 answers
149 views

Small flag triangulations

In geometric group theory and low-dimensional topology, asking for a triangulation of a specific space to be flag can often be somewhat more cumbersome than just turning a CW-complex into a simplicial ...
7 votes
0 answers
148 views

Cycles in Tits building

Tits building for an $n$-dimensional vector space $V$ is defined to be the simplicial complex corresponding to the poset of proper and non-zero subspaces of $V$. It is denoted by $T(V)$. This is known ...
1 vote
0 answers
49 views

Smooth subdivision which is not rectilinear

What is the simplest example of a smooth subdivision of the standard simplex $\Delta^n$ which can not be realized as a rectilinear subdivision? That is I want a simplicial complex $K$ for which there ...
8 votes
1 answer
256 views

Extending a triangulation of the boundary of $M \times I$

(Sorry for what is probably a rather foundational PL-topology question.) By a triangulation of a manifold $M$, I mean a homeomorphism with the geometric realization of a simplicial complex, $h: |K| \...
5 votes
0 answers
189 views

Gaussian curvature/Euler characteristic of Facebook clusters

If I look at a connected subgraph on a small collection of actors (such as a small cluster) in the Facebook social network, and I find that 1) The Euler characteristic of the clique complex built on ...
4 votes
0 answers
273 views

Are triangulations with common refinements PL-homeomorphic?

Do there exist simplicial triangulations $K_1$ and $K_2$ of a topological manifold $M$ such that $K_1$ and $K_2$ have a common subdivision but they are not PL-homeomorphic? Ideally, I would like an ...
6 votes
1 answer
466 views

Are triangulations of compact manifolds PL homeomorphic?

I have frequently come across the statement "Any two triangulations of a compact n-manifold are related by bistellar moves" attributed to Pachner via Lickorish's paper 'Simplicial moves on complexes ...
12 votes
0 answers
133 views

Finite list of neighborhoods to approximate any finite simplicial complex

It is easy to see that any (locally finite) graph is homotopy-equivalent to a trivalent graph. Moreover, this can be achieved by a local construction - take neighborhoods of vertices of degree $> 3$...
6 votes
0 answers
132 views

Is there any work in topological data analysis on something like "Voronoi complexes"?

Given a finite set $X \subset \mathbb{R}^n$, we can of course construct the corresponding Čech or Vietoris-Rips filtration. At each level of this filtration the scale parameter is fixed and unrelated ...
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Any 3-manifold can be realized as the boundary of a 4-manifold

We know "Any closed, oriented $3$-manifold $M$ is the boundary of some oriented $4$-manifold $B$." See this post: Elegant proof that any closed, oriented 3-manifold is the boundary of some ...
3 votes
1 answer
158 views

Cyclic polytopes whose boundary is a flag complex

A cyclic polytope $C(n, d)$ is defined as the convex hull of $n$ distinct points on the moment curve in $\mathbb{R}^d$ (here $n>d$). This is a simplicial polytope so its boundary $\partial C(n, d)$ ...
3 votes
1 answer
403 views

Geometry of the second barycentric subdivision (and Thomason-fibrant replacement)

Is $\mathrm{sd}^2 (\Delta^n) = \mathrm{sd}^2(\partial \Delta^n) \times \Delta^1 \cup_{\mathrm{sd}^2(\partial \Delta^n) \times \{1\}} Cone(\mathrm{sd}^2(\partial \Delta^n))$ ? Here $\mathrm{sd}^2$ ...
4 votes
1 answer
362 views

Who first considered constructibility of simplicial complexes?

A simplicial complex of dimension $d$ is called constructible if it is a simplex, or if it is the union of two constructible dimension-$d$ simplicial complexes along a dimension-$(d-1)$ intersection. ...
4 votes
1 answer
388 views

What are the 4 convex simplicial 4-polytopes that have 6 vertices?

In Convex polytopes and related complexes by Klee and Kleinschmidt they state the number of $d$-polytopes with $d+2$ vertices is $\lfloor \frac{d^2}{4}\rfloor$. I was wondering what the four $4$-...
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

Stiefel manifolds and "simplicial complex chromated Sitefel manifolds"

Let $K$ be a simplicial complex whose vertices are labelled by $1,2,\cdots,k$. I want to define a variant concept of the open Stiefel manifolds $$ V_K(\mathbb{R}^n):=\{(v_1,v_2,\cdots,v_k)\in\prod_k\...
4 votes
1 answer
471 views

Is barycentric subdivision of a collapsible, regular CW complex collapsible (non-evasive)?

Let $X$ be a finite, regular CW complex, and let $X'$ be its barycentric subdivision (i.e. the order complex of the face poset of $X$). Assume $X$ is collapsible. Is $X'$ collapsible? Is $X'$ ...
2 votes
0 answers
68 views

Any results on rayless simplicial complexes?

We define a closed ray in a topological space $X$ to be its closed subset homeomorphic to the real half-line $[0,\infty)\subseteq \mathbb{R}$. Call a topological space $X$ rayless if it does not ...
1 vote
1 answer
203 views

3-complexes not embeddable in 3-space

My question is about embeddability of 3-dimensional complexes in R^3. Do we have something like Kuratowski's theorem for complexes in 3-space which specifies a set of minors for non-embeddability?
12 votes
0 answers
359 views

Consequences of Zeeman's conjecture

Recall the Zeeman's conjecture: if $K$ is a contractible polyhedron of dimension 2, then $K\times I$ has a collapsible subdivision. Zeeman showed that this implies the Poincaré conjecture in ...
6 votes
1 answer
530 views

References to proofs of a theorem by Van Kampen-Flores

Theorem (Van Kampen-Flores 1930s) From any 7 points in four-dimensional space one can choose two disjoint triples such that the triangles with vertices at the triples intersect each other. This ...