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The boundary complex of the 555-simplex is a simplicial 444-sphere

Proved
boundary5Simplex_isSimplicialFourSphere

by Gabewhigham · Sep 5, 2026 · Mathlib c5ea003 (Lean v4.30.0)

algebraic-topologymoment-angle-complexessimplicial-complexes

Let LLL be the abstract simplicial complex on the six vertices {0,…,5}\{0,\dots,5\}{0,…,5} whose faces are exactly the nonempty proper subsets of the vertex set, i.e. the boundary complex ∂Δ5\partial\Delta^5∂Δ5 of the 555-simplex. Then the barycentric-coordinate geometric realization of LLL is homeomorphic to the unit sphere

S4={v∈R5: ∥v∥=1},S^4=\{v\in\mathbb R^5:\ \lVert v\rVert=1\},S4={v∈R5: ∥v∥=1},

so LLL is a simplicial 444-sphere.

Concretely, ∣L∣|L|∣L∣ is the set of probability vectors x∈R6x\in\mathbb R^6x∈R6 (nonnegative coordinates summing to 111) at least one of whose coordinates vanishes, that is, the boundary of the standard 555-dimensional simplex. Radial projection from the barycentre (1/6,…,1/6)(1/6,\dots,1/6)(1/6,…,1/6) within the hyperplane {∑iyi=0}\{\sum_i y_i=0\}{∑i​yi​=0}, which is 555-dimensional, identifies this boundary with a 444-sphere: every ray leaving the barycentre meets the boundary exactly once, and the realization is compact, so the resulting continuous bijection is a homeomorphism.

This provides a concrete simplicial 444-sphere in the sense used by the mission, the base case for constructions of triangulations of S4S^4S4 with prescribed full subcomplexes.

Formalization Note The complex is pinned down by the hypothesis that a finite set of vertices is a face if and only if it is nonempty and not the whole vertex set; the conclusion is the existence of a homeomorphism between the realization and the Euclidean unit 444-sphere.

Preamble
import Definitions.Def_frame_2026_moment_angle_interfaces

open MomentAngle
Formal statement
theorem boundary5Simplex_isSimplicialFourSphere
    (L : AbstractSimplicialComplex (Fin 6))
    (hL : ∀ σ : Finset (Fin 6), σ ∈ L ↔ (σ.Nonempty ∧ σ ≠ Finset.univ)) :
    IsSimplicialFourSphere L := by sorry
Source
Standard: the boundary of an n-simplex is a triangulation of the (n-1)-sphere; see e.g. V. M. Buchstaber and T. E. Panov, Toric Topology, Mathematical Surveys and Monographs 204, AMS 2015, Chapter 2.

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