2 7 M ay 2 00 5 Ordering Events in Minkowski Space

Let p1, . . . , pk be k points (events) in (n+1)-dimensional Minkowski space R. Using the theory of hyperplane arrangments and chromatic polynomials, we obtain information on the number of different orders in which the events can occur in different reference frames if the events are sufficiently generic. We consider the question of what sets of orderings of the points are possible and show a connection with sphere orders and the allowable sequences of Goodman and Pollack.