Algebraic Topology – Euler Characteristic of Pseudomanifolds with Boundary

3-manifoldsat.algebraic-topologyeuler-characteristicsgn.general-topologysimplicial-complexes

It is a well-known fact that for every compact oriented odd-dimensional manifold $\mathcal{M}$ with boundary it holds that

$$\chi(\mathcal{M})=\frac{1}{2}\chi(\partial\mathcal{M}).$$

In particular, if you take a $3$-dimensional manifold with boundary given by a genus $g$ surface, then its Euler characteristic is $\chi=1-g$.

Is there any relation known between the Euler characteristic of a pseudomanifold with boundary and its boundary? Maybe some explicit formula as above, or at least some inequality relating the two Euler characteristics? I am mainly interested in the $3$-dimensional case. Maybe pseudomanifolds are too general and something like the statement above is only true in the case of "normal" pseudomanifolds, in which all links are themselve pseudomanifolds.


Let me briefly define, what I mean when taking about "pseudomanifolds with boundary":

Simplicial Complex:

Let $\mathcal{V}$ be a finite set. Then a collection of non-empty
finite subsets of $\mathcal{V}$, denoted by
$\Delta\subset\mathcal{P}(\mathcal{V})$, is called "(abstract)
simplicial complex", if it satisfies the following two properties:

  1. $\Delta$ contains all singletons, i.e. $\{v\}\in\Delta$ for all $v\in\mathcal{V}$.
  2. For any non-empty $\tau\subset\sigma$ for some $\sigma\in\Delta$ it holds that $\tau\in\Delta$.

Pseudomanifolds:

Let $\Delta$ be a finite abstract $d$-dimensional simplicial complex.
We call the corresponding geometric realization $\vert\Delta\vert$ a
"$d$-dimensional pseudomanifold", if the following conditions are
fulfilled:

  1. $\Delta$ is "pure", i.e. every simplex $\sigma\in\Delta$
    is the face of some $d$-simplex.
  2. $\Delta$ is "non-branching", i.e. every $(d-1)$-simplex
    is face of exactly one or two $d$-simplices.
  3. $\Delta$ is "strongly-connected", i.e. for every pair of
    $d$-simplices $\sigma,\tau\in\Delta_{d}$, there is a sequence of
    $d$-simplices $\sigma=\sigma_{1},\sigma_{2},\dots,\sigma_{k}=\tau$
    such that the intersection $\sigma_{l}\cap\sigma_{l+1}$ is a
    $(d-1)$-simplex for every $l\in\{1,\dots,k-1\}$.

The $(d-1)$-simplices from condition (2), which are the face of only
one $d$-simplices are called "boundary simplices". The (geometrical
realization of the) subcomplex of all these simplices is called
"boundary of the pseudomanifold" and we denote this subcomplex by
$\partial\Delta$. If $\partial\Delta\neq\emptyset$, then we call
$\vert\Delta\vert$ "pseudomanifold with boundary", otherwise just "pseudomanifold."

Best Answer

Ok, to convert my comment to an answer. Let $S$ be a closed orientable triangulated surface of genus $\ge 1$. Let $M$ be the cone over $S$. Then $M$ has a natural orientable pseudomanifold structure. However, $\chi(M)=1$, while $\chi(S)$ can be any nonpositive even number.

The moral is that there are way too many pseudomanifolds (even "normal" ones, in your sense). If you want to have the standard relation $\chi(\partial M)=\chi(M)/2$, consider working with (say, rational) "homology manifolds" (with boundary). But in the 3-dimensional setting, all homology manifolds are manifolds.