Algebraic shifting and sequentially Cohen-Macaulay simplicial complexes

Abstract

Björner and Wachs generalized the definition of shellability by dropping the assumption of purity; they also introduced the h-triangle, a doubly-indexed generalization of the h-vector which is combinatorially significant for nonpure shellable complexes. Stanley subsequently defined a nonpure simplicial complex to be sequentially Cohen-Macaulay if it satisfies algebraic conditions that generalize the Cohen-Macaulay conditions for pure complexes, so that a nonpure shellable complex is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay. We show that algebraic shifting preserves the h-triangle of a simplicial complex K if and only if K is sequentially Cohen-Macaulay. This generalizes a result of Kalai's for the pure case. Immediate consequences include that nonpure shellable complexes and sequentially Cohen-Macaulay complexes have the same set of possible h-triangles.