Complexes, Graphs, Homotopy, Products and Shannon Capacity

Abstract: A finite abstract simplicial complex G defines the Barycentric refinement graph phi(G) = (G,{ (a,b), a subset b or b subset a }) and the connection graph psi(G) = (G,{ (a,b), a intersected with b not empty }). We note here that both functors phi and psi from complexes to graphs are invertible on the image (Theorem 1) and that G,phi(G),psi(G) all have the same automorphism group and that the Cartesian product of G corresponding to the Stanley-Reisner product of phi(G) and the strong Shannon product of psi(G), have the product automorphism groups. Second, we see that if G is a Barycentric refinement, then phi(G) and psi(G) are graph homotopic (Theorem 2). Third, if gamma is the geometric realization functor, assigning to a complex or to a graph the geometric realization of its clique complex, then gamma(G) and gamma(phi(G)) and gamma(psi(G)) are all classically homotopic for a Barycentric refined simplicial complex G (Theorem 3). The Barycentric assumption is necessary in Theorem 2 and 3. There is compatibility with Cartesian products of complexes which manifests in the strong graph product of connection graphs: if two graphs A,A' are homotopic and B,B' are homotopic, then A . B is homotopic to A' . B' (Theorem 4) leading to a commutative ring of homotopy classes of graphs. Finally, we note (Theorem 5) that for all simplicial complexes G as well as product G=G_1 x G_2 ... x G_k, the Shannon capacity Theta(psi(G)) of psi(G) is equal to the number m of zero-dimensional sets in G. An explicit Lowasz umbrella in R^m leads to the Lowasz number theta(G) leq m and so Theta(psi(G))=theta(psi(G))=m making Theta compatible with disjoint union addition and strong multiplication.