English

A Sylvester-Gallai-type theorem for complex-representable matroids

Combinatorics 2024-04-30 v2

Abstract

The Sylvester-Gallai Theorem states that every rank-33 real-representable matroid has a two-point line. We prove that, for each k2k\ge 2, every complex-representable matroid with rank at least 4k14^{k-1} has a rank-kk flat with exactly kk points. For k=2k=2, this is a well-known result due to Kelly, which we use in our proof. A similar result was proved earlier by Barak, Dvir, Wigderson, and Yehudayoff and later refined by Dvir, Saraf, and Wigderson, but we get slightly better bounds with a more elementary proof.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2212.03307,
  title  = {A Sylvester-Gallai-type theorem for complex-representable matroids},
  author = {Jim Geelen and Matthew E. Kroeker},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2212.03307},
  year   = {2024}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T07:24:11.074Z