On flag spheres with few equators

Abstract: In this note we construct a flag simplicial $3$-sphere $\Delta$ with the following properties: - $\Delta$ is not a suspension; - $\Delta$ has no edge that can be contracted to obtain another flag sphere; - The only equators (induced subcomplexes which are spheres of codimension $1$) of $\Delta$ are vertex links. Our construction has $12$ vertices, the minimum number of vertices such a simplicial complex can have. This answers a question posed by Chudnovsky and Nevo.