Robertson (1988) suggested a model for the realization space of a convex d-dimensional polytope and an approach via the implicit function theorem, which -- in the case of a full rank Jacobian -- proves that the realization space is a manifold of dimension NG(P):=d(f_0+f_{d-1})-f_{0,d-1}, which is the natural guess for the dimension given by the number of variables minus the number of quadratic equations that are used in the definition of the realization space. While this indeed holds for many natural classes of polytopes (including simple and simplicial polytopes, as well as all polytopes of dimension at most 3),and Robertson claimed this to be true for all polytopes, Mnev's (1986/1988) Universality Theorem implies that it is not true in general: Indeed, (1) the centered realization space is not a smoothly embedded manifold in general, and (2) it does not have the dimension NG(P) in general.
In this paper we develop Jacobian criteria for the analysis of realization spaces. From these we get easily that for various large and natural classes of polytopes the realization spaces are indeed manifolds, whose dimensions are given by NG(P). However, we also identify the smallest polytopes where the dimension count (2) and thus Robertson's claim fails, among them the bipyramid over a triangular prism. For the property (1), we analyze the classical 24-cell: We show that the realization space has at least the dimension 48, and it has points where it is a manifold of this dimension, but it is not smoothly embedded as a manifold everywhere.
Realizations of abstract regular polytopes from a representation theoretic view
Peter McMullen发展了一个抽象正则多面体的实现理论，并证明了直到同余的实现形成一个尖凸锥，它是某些不可约子锥的直积。我们证明了这些子锥同构于一组维数为$m$的半正定埃尔米特矩阵，它们可以是实数、复数或四元数。特别是，我们纠正了错误的计算这些子锥的尺寸由McMullen和蒙森。我们证明了一个抽象正则多面体的自同构群可以有一个不可约特征标$χ$，它具有$χ\neq \overlineχ$和任意大的本质Wythoff维数。这给出了赫尔曼和蒙森的一个结果的反例，这个结果是从前面提到的错误计算中得出的。我们还讨论了某些纯实现的余弦向量与Gelfand对理论中出现的球函数之间的关系。
We study properties of the realizations of groups as the combinatorial automorphism group of a convex polytope. We show that for any non-abelian group $G$ with a central involution there is a centrally symmetric polytope with $G$ as its combinatorial automorphisms. We show that for each integer $n$, there are groups that cannot be realized as the combinatorial automorphisms of convex polytopes of dimension at most $n$. We also give an optimal lower bound for the dimension of the realization of a group as the group of isometries that preserves a convex polytope.
Taking up a suggestion of David Gale from 1956, we generate sets of combinatorially isomorphic polytopes by choosing their Gale diagrams at random. We find that in high dimensions, and under suitable assumptions on the growth of the involved parameters, the obtained polytopes have strong neighborliness properties, with high probability.
In 3-dimensional Euclidean space there exist two exceptional polyhedra, the rhombic dodecahedron and the rhombic triacontahedron, the only known polytopes (besides polygons) that are edge-transitive without being vertex-transitive. We show that these polyhedra do not have higher-dimensional analogues, that is, that in dimension $d\ge 4$, edge-transitivity of convex polytopes implies vertex-transitivity. More generally, we give a classification of all convex polytopes which at the same time have all edges of the same length, an edge in-sphere and a bipartite edge-graph. We show that any such po…
The problem of finding the largest number of points in the unit cross-polytope such that the $l_{1}$-distance between any two distinct points is at least $2r$ is investigated for $r\in\left(1-\frac{1}{n},1\right]$ in dimensions $\geq2$ and for $r\in\left(\frac{1}{2},1\right]$ in dimension $3$. For the $n$-dimensional cross-polytope, $2n$ points can be placed when $r\in\left(1-\frac{1}{n},1\right]$. For the three-dimensional cross-polytope, $10$ and $12$ points can be placed if and only if $r\in\left(\frac{3}{5},\frac{2}{3}\right]$ and $r\in\left(\frac{4}{7},\frac{3}{5}\right]$ respectively, an…
For $3$-dimensional convex polytopes, inscribability is a classical property that is relatively well-understood due to its relation with Delaunay subdivisions of the plane and hyperbolic geometry. In particular, inscribability can be tested in polynomial time, and for every $f$-vector of $3$-polytopes, there exists an inscribable polytope with that $f$-vector. For higher-dimensional polytopes, much less is known. Of course, for any inscribable polytope, all of its lower-dimensional faces need to be inscribable, but this condition does not appear to be very strong. We observe non-trivial new ob…
We construct a hollow lattice polytope (resp. a hollow lattice simplex) of dimension $14$ (resp.$~404$) and of width $15$ (resp.$~408$). They are the first known hollow lattice polytopes of width larger than dimension. We also construct a hollow (non-lattice) tetrahedron of width $2+\sqrt2$ and conjecture that this is the maximum width among $3$-dimensional hollow convex bodies. We show that the maximum lattice width grows (at least) additively with $d$. In particular, the constructions above imply the existence of hollow lattice polytopes (resp. hollow simplices) of arbitrarily large dimensio…
We complete the classification of compact hyperbolic Coxeter $d$-polytopes with $d+4$ facets for $d=4$ and $5$. By previous work of Felikson and Tumarkin, the only remaining dimension where new polytopes may arise is $d=6$. We derive a new method for generating the combinatorial type of these polytopes via the classification of point set order types. In dimensions $4$ and $5$, there are $348$ and $51$ polytopes, respectively, yielding many new examples for further study. We furthermore provide new upper bounds on the dimension $d$ of compact hyperbolic Coxeter polytopes with $d+k$ facets for $…
We consider compact hyperbolic Coxeter polytopes whose Coxeter diagram contains a unique dotted edge. We prove that such a polytope in d-dimensional hyperbolic space has at most d+3 facets. In view of results of Lannér, Kaplinskaja, Esselmann, and the second author, this implies that compact hyperbolic Coxeter polytopes with a unique pair of non-intersecting facets are completely classified. They do exist only up to dimension 6 and in dimension 8.
