For any $n > 0$ and $0 \leq m < n$, let $P_{n,m}$ be the poset of projective equivalence classes of $\{-,0,+\}$-vectors of length $n$ with sign variation bounded by $m$, ordered by reverse inclusion of the positions of zeros. Let $\Delta_{n,m}$ be the order complex of $P_{n,m}$. A previous result from the third author shows that $\Delta_{n,m}$ is Cohen-Macaulay over $\mathbb{Q}$ whenever $m$ is even or $m = n-1$. Hence, it follows that the $h$-vector of $\Delta_{n,m}$ consists of nonnegative entries. Our main result states that $\Delta_{n,m}$ is partitionable and we give an interpretation of the $h$-vector when $m$ is even or $m = n-1$. When $m = n-1$ the entries of the $h$-vector turn out to be the new Eulerian numbers of type $D$ studied by Borowiec and Młotkowski in [ Electron. J. Combin., 23(1):#P1.38, 2016]. We then combine our main result with Klee's generalized Dehn-Sommerville relations to give a geometric proof of some facts about these Eulerian numbers of type $D$.
@article{10_37236_9801,
author = {Nantel Bergeron and Aram Dermenjian and John Machacek},
title = {Sign variation and descents},
journal = {The electronic journal of combinatorics},
year = {2020},
volume = {27},
number = {4},
doi = {10.37236/9801},
zbl = {1456.05184},
url = {http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/articles/10.37236/9801/}
}
TY - JOUR
AU - Nantel Bergeron
AU - Aram Dermenjian
AU - John Machacek
TI - Sign variation and descents
JO - The electronic journal of combinatorics
PY - 2020
VL - 27
IS - 4
UR - http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/articles/10.37236/9801/
DO - 10.37236/9801
ID - 10_37236_9801
ER -
%0 Journal Article
%A Nantel Bergeron
%A Aram Dermenjian
%A John Machacek
%T Sign variation and descents
%J The electronic journal of combinatorics
%D 2020
%V 27
%N 4
%U http://geodesic.mathdoc.fr/articles/10.37236/9801/
%R 10.37236/9801
%F 10_37236_9801
Nantel Bergeron; Aram Dermenjian; John Machacek. Sign variation and descents. The electronic journal of combinatorics, Tome 27 (2020) no. 4. doi: 10.37236/9801