Intersection cohomology and cd-index of fans -- Kalle Karu

For a projective toric variety X corresponding to a simplicial fan F, the singular cohomology of X can be used very effectively to understand the combinatorics of F. When the fan F is not simplicial, there are two better behaving replacements for singular cohomology: intersection cohomology and cd-index. The two theories, despite having different origins -- the first in geometry and the second in combinatorics -- are actually close cousins. In this talk I will explain the similarities between them and some parallel results that hold in both theories.