Composition of simplicial complexes, polytopes and multigraded Betti numbers

Abstract: For a simplicial complex K on m vertices and simplicial complexes K1,...,Km a composed simplicial complex K(K1,...,Km) is introduced. This construction generalizes an iterated simplicial wedge construction studied by A. Bahri, M. Bendersky, F. R. Cohen and S. Gitler and allows to describe the combinatorics of generalized joins of polytopes P(P1,...,Pm) defined by G. Agnarsson. The composition defines a structure of an operad on a set of finite simplicial complexes. We prove the following: (1) a composed complex K(K1,...,Km) is a simplicial sphere iff K is a simplicial sphere and Ki are the boundaries of simplices; (2) a class of spherical nerve-complexes is closed under the operation of composition (3) finally, we express multigraded Betti numbers of K(K1,...,Km) in terms of multigraded Betti numbers of K, K1,...,Km using a composition of generating functions.