English

The generic combinatorial simplex

Logic 2021-05-28 v2 Algebraic Topology Combinatorics Category Theory

Abstract

We employ projective Fra\"iss\'e theory to define the "generic combinatorial nn-simplex" as the pro-finite, simplicial complex that is canonically associated with a family of simply defined selection maps between finite triangulations of the simplex. The generic combinatorial nn-simplex is a combinatorial object that can be used to define the geometric realization of a simplicial complex without any reference to the Euclidean space. It also reflects dynamical properties of its homeomorphism group down to finite combinatorics. As part of our study of the generic combinatorial simplex, we define and prove results on domination closure for Fra\"iss\'e classes, and we develop further the theories of stellar moves and cellular maps. We prove that the domination closure of selection maps contains the class of face-preserving simplicial maps that are cellular on each face of the nn-simplex and is contained in the class of simplicial, face-preserving near-homeomorphisms. Under the PL-Poincar\'e conjecture, this gives a characterization of the domination closure of selections.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2001.00908,
  title  = {The generic combinatorial simplex},
  author = {Aristotelis Panagiotopoulos and Sławomir Solecki},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2001.00908},
  year   = {2021}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T13:02:27.845Z