Face numbers of barycentric subdivisions of cubical complexes

Abstract

The $h$-polynomial of the barycentric subdivision of any $n$-dimensional cubical complex with nonnegative cubical $h$-vector is shown to have only real roots and to be interlaced by the Eulerian polynomial of type $B_n$. This result applies to barycentric subdivisions of shellable cubical complexes and, in particular, to barycentric subdivisions of cubical convex polytopes and answers affirmatively a question of Brenti, Mohammadi and Welker.