The Cohomology for Wu Characteristics

TL;DR

This paper introduces interaction cohomology for Wu characteristics in simplicial complexes, generalizing classical invariants, and establishes their algebraic, topological, and spectral properties, including a Lefschetz fixed point theorem extension.

Contribution

It defines interaction cohomology compatible with Wu characteristics, proves its invariance, and extends classical theorems like Künneth and Lefschetz to this new setting.

Findings

Interaction cohomology distinguishes non-homeomorphic complexes with same simplicial cohomology.

Wu characteristics satisfy a Künneth formula with polynomial ring homomorphisms.

A generalized Lefschetz fixed point theorem applies to Wu characteristics.

Abstract

While Euler characteristic X(G)=sum_x w(x) super counts simplices, Wu characteristics w_k(G) = sum_(x_1,x_2,...,x_k) w(x_1)...w(x_k) super counts simultaneously pairwise interacting k-tuples of simplices in a finite abstract simplicial complex G. More general is the k-intersection number w_k(G_1,...G_k), where x_i in G_i. We define interaction cohomology H^p(G_1,...,G_k) compatible with w_k and invariant under Barycentric subdivison. It allows to distinguish spaces which simplicial cohomology can not: it can identify algebraically the Moebius strip and the cylinder for example. The cohomology satisfies the Kuenneth formula: the Poincare polynomials p_k(t) are ring homomorphisms from the strong ring to the ring of polynomials in t. The Dirac operator D=d+d^* defines the block diagonal Hodge Laplacian L=D^2 which leads to the generalized Hodge correspondence b_p(G)=dim(H^p_k(G)) = dim(ker(L_p)) and Euler-Poincare w_k(G)=sum_p (-1)^p dim(H^p_k(G)) for Wu characteristic. Also, like for traditional simplicial cohomology, isospectral Lax deformation D' = [B(D),D], with B(t)=d(t)-d^*(t)-ib(t), D(t)=d(t)+d(t)^* + b(t) can deform the exterior derivative d. The Brouwer-Lefschetz fixed point theorem generalizes to all Wu characteristics: given an endomorphism T of G, the super trace of its induced map on k'th cohomology defines a Lefschetz number L_k(T). The Brouwer index i_T,k(x_1,...,x_k) = product_j=1^k w(x_j) sign(T|x_j) attached to simplex tuple which is invariant under T leads to the formula L_k(T) = sum_T(x)=x i_T,k(x). For T=Id, the Lefschetz number L_k(Id) is equal to the k'th Wu characteristic w_k(G) of the graph G and the Lefschetz formula reduces to the Euler-Poincare formula for Wu characteristic.