Vertex decomposable graphs and obstructions to shellability

Inspired by several recent papers on the edge ideal of a graph G, we study the equivalent notion of the independence complex of G. Using the tool of vertex decomposability from geometric combinatorics, we show that 5-chordal graphs with no chordless 4-cycles are shellable and sequentially Cohen-Macaulay. We use this result to characterize the obstructions to shellability in flag complexes, extending work of Billera, Myers, and Wachs. We also show how vertex decomposability may be used to show that certain graph constructions preserve shellability.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures. v2: Improved exposition, added Section 5.2 and additional references. v3: minor corrections for publicatio

Matchings, coverings, and Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity

We show that the co-chordal cover number of a graph G gives an upper bound for the Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of the associated edge ideal. Several known combinatorial upper bounds of regularity for edge ideals are then easy consequences of covering results from graph theory, and we derive new upper bounds by looking at additional covering results.Comment: 12 pages; v4 has minor changes for publicatio

On martingale approximations

Consider additive functionals of a Markov chain $W_k$, with stationary (marginal) distribution and transition function denoted by $\pi$ and $Q$, say $S_n=g(W_1)+...+g(W_n)$, where $g$ is square integrable and has mean 0 with respect to $\pi$. If $S_n$ has the form $S_n=M_n+R_n$, where $M_n$ is a square integrable martingale with stationary increments and $E(R_n^2)=o(n)$, then $g$ is said to admit a martingale approximation. Necessary and sufficient conditions for such an approximation are developed. Two obvious necessary conditions are $E[E(S_n|W_1)^2]=o(n)$ and $\lim_{n\to \infty}E(S_n^2)/n<\infty$. Assuming the first of these, let $\Vert g\Vert^2_+=\limsup_{n\to \infty}E(S_n^2)/n$; then $\Vert\cdot\Vert_+$ defines a pseudo norm on the subspace of $L^2(\pi)$ where it is finite. In one main result, a simple necessary and sufficient condition for a martingale approximation is developed in terms of $\Vert\cdot\Vert_+$. Let $Q^*$ denote the adjoint operator to $Q$, regarded as a linear operator from $L^2(\pi)$ into itself, and consider co-isometries ($QQ^*=I$), an important special case that includes shift processes. In another main result a convenient orthonormal basis for $L_0^2(\pi)$ is identified along with a simple necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a martingale approximation in terms of the coefficients of the expansion of $g$ with respect to this basis.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/07-AAP505 the Annals of Applied Probability (http://www.imstat.org/aap/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org