A necessary and sufficient condition for $k$-transversals

Daniel McGinnis, Nikola Sadovek

Published 2024-11-11Version 1

We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for a family of convex sets in $\mathbb{R}^d$ to admit a $k$-transversal, for any $0 \le k \le d-1$. This result is a common generalization of Helly's theorem ($k=0$) and the Goodman-Pollack-Wenger theorem ($k=d-1$). Additionally, we obtain an analogue in the complex setting by characterizing the existence of a complex $k$-transversal to a family of convex sets in $\mathbb{C}^d$, extending the work of McGinnis ($k=d-1$). Our approach employs a Borsuk-Ulam-type theorem on Stiefel manifolds.