Borsuk-Ulam Theorems for Complements of Arrangements

Abstract

In combinatorial problems it is sometimes possible to define a $G$-equivariant mapping from a space $X$ of configurations of a system to a Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^m$ for which a coincidence of the image of this mapping with an arrangement $\mathcal{A}$ of linear subspaces insures a desired set of linear conditions on a configuration. Borsuk-Ulam type theorems give conditions under which no $G$-equivariant mapping of $X$ to the complement of the arrangement exist. In this paper, precise conditions are presented which lead to such theorems through a spectral sequence argument. We introduce a blow up of an arrangement whose complement has particularly nice cohomology making such arguments possible. Examples are presented that show that these conditions are best possible.