Coreduction Homology Algorithm for Regular CW-Complexes

Abstract

In this paper we present a new algorithm for computing the homology of regular CW-complexes. This algorithm is based on the coreduction algorithm due to Mrozek and Batko and consists essentially of a geometric preprocessing algorithm for the standard chain complex generated by a CW-complex. By employing the concept of S-complexes the original chain complex can-in all known practical cases-be reduced to a significantly smaller S-complex with isomorphic homology, which can then be computed using standard methods. Furthermore, we demonstrate that in the context of non-uniform cubical grids this method significantly improves currently available algorithms based on uniform cubical grids. © 2010 The Author(s).