The Connectedness Homomorphism between Discrete Morse Complexes

Abstract: Given two discrete Morse functions on a simplicial complex, we introduce the {\em connectedness homomorphism} between the corresponding discrete Morse complexes. This concept leads to a novel framework for studying the connectedness in discrete Morse theory at the chain complex level. In particular, we apply it to describe a discrete analogy to `cusp-degeneration' of Morse complexes. A precise comparison between smooth case and our discrete cases is also given.