On the Shape of a Pure $O$-Sequence

Book excerpt: A monomial order ideal is a finite collection X of (monic) monomials such that, whenever M∈X and N divides M, then N∈X. Hence X is a poset, where the partial order is given by divisibility. If all, say t t, maximal monomials of X have the same degree, then X is pure (of type t). A pure O-sequence is the vector, h_=(h0=1,h1,...,he), counting the monomials of X in each degree. Equivalently, pure O-sequences can be characterized as the f-vectors of pure multicomplexes, or, in the language of commutative algebra, as the h h-vectors of monomial Artinian level algebras. Pure O-sequences had their origin in one of the early works of Stanley's in this area, and have since played a significant role in at least three different disciplines: the study of simplicial complexes and their f f-vectors, the theory of level algebras, and the theory of matroids. This monograph is intended to be the first systematic study of the theory of pure O-sequences.