Subword complexes and edge subdivisions

Abstract

For a finite Coxeter group, a subword complex is a simplicial complex associated with a pair (Q, \pi), where Q is a word in the alphabet of simple reflections, $\pi$ is a group element. We discuss the transformations of such a complex induced by braid moves of the word Q. We show that under certain conditions, this transformation is a composition of edge subdivisions and inverse edge subdivisions. In such a case, we describe how the H- and the \gamma-polynomials change under this operation. This case includes all braid moves for groups with simply-laced Coxeter diagrams.