Linking combinatorial and classical dynamics: Conley index and Morse decompositions

Abstract: We prove that every combinatorial dynamical system in the sense of Forman, defined on a family of simplices of a simplicial complex, gives rise to a multivalued dynamical system F on the geometric realization of the simplicial complex. Moreover, F may be chosen in such a way that the isolated invariant sets, Conley indices, Morse decompositions, and Conley-Morse graphs of the two dynamical systems are in one-to-one correspondence.