An analogue of distributivity for ungraded lattices

Abstract

In this paper, we define a property, trimness, for lattices. Trimness is a not-necessarily-graded generalization of distributivity; in particular, if a lattice is trim and graded, it is distributive. Trimness is preserved under taking intervals and suitable sublattices. Trim lattices satisfy a weakened form of modularity. The order complex of a trim lattice is contractible or homotopic to a sphere; the latter holds exactly if the maximum element of the lattice is a join of atoms. Other than distributive lattices, the main examples of trim lattices are the Tamari lattices and various generalizations of them. We show that the Cambrian lattices in types A and B defined by Reading are trim, and we conjecture that all Cambrian lattices are trim.