Fans and polytopes in tilting theory I: Foundations

TL;DR

This paper develops a tilting theoretic framework linking silting complexes, fans, and polytopes in algebra, revealing geometric structures like $g$-fans and $g$-polytopes associated with finite-dimensional algebras.

Contribution

It introduces the $g$-fan and $g$-polytope constructions for algebras, establishing foundational properties and classifications, including convexity, reflexivity, and connections to root and Newton polytopes.

Findings

The $g$-fan is a nonsingular fan with key properties like sign-coherence.

The $g$-polytope can be convex, reflexive, and classified for certain algebra types.

Classification of $g$-convex algebras, including Fano and Brauer graph algebras.

Abstract

For a finite dimensional algebra $A$ over a field $k$, the 2-term silting complexes of $A$ gives a simplicial complex $\Delta(A)$ called the $g$-simplicial complex. We give tilting theoretic interpretations of the $h$-vectors and Dehn-Sommerville equations of $\Delta(A)$. Using $g$-vectors of 2-term silting complexes, $\Delta(A)$ gives a nonsingular fan $\Sigma(A)$ in the real Grothendieck group $K_0(\mathsf{proj} A)_{\mathbb{R}}$ called the $g$-fan. We give several basic properties of $\Sigma(A)$ including sign-coherence, sign decomposition, idempotent reductions, Jasso reductions, pairwise positivity and a connection with Newton polytopes of $A$-modules. Moreover, $\Sigma(A)$ gives a (possibly infinite and non-convex) polytope $P(A)$ in $K_0(\mathsf{proj} A)_{\mathbb{R}}$ called the $g$-polytope of $A$. We call $A$ $g$-convex if $P(A)$ is convex. In this case, we show that it is a reflexive polytope, and that the dual polytope is given by the 2-term simple minded collections of $A$. There are precisely 7 convex $g$-polyogons up to isomorphism. We give a classification of algebras whose $g$-polytopes are smooth Fano. We study $g$-fans and $g$-polytopes of two important classes of algebras. We show that the $g$-fan of a classical or generalized preprojective algebra is given by the Coxeter fan. It is $g$-convex if and only if it is of type $A$ or $B$, and in this case, its $g$-polytope is the dual polytope of the short root polytope. Moreover we classify Brauer graph algebras which are $g$-convex, and describe their $g$-polytopes as the root polytopes of type $A$ or $C$.