Smooth Fano polytopes arising from finite partially ordered sets (Q633207): Difference between revisions

Let \(P = \{y_1,\dots,y_d\}\) be a finite partially ordered set, with adjoined unique maximal and minimal elements \(y_0 = \hat 0,y_{d+1} = \hat 1\) to form \(\hat P\). The Hasse diagram has edges \(e = \{y_i,y_j\}\) with, say, \(y_i < y_j\), but no \(z\) such that \(y_i < z < y_j\). For an edge \(e = \{y_i,y_j\}\) with \(y_i < y_j\), define \[ \rho(e) = \mathbf{e}_i - \mathbf{e}_j, \] with \(\{\mathbf{e}_1,\dots,\mathbf{e}_d\}\) the usual basis of \(\mathbb{R}^d\), and formally \(\mathbf{e}_0 = 0 = \mathbf{e}_{d+1}\). Then \(\mathcal{Q}_P\) is defined to be the convex hull of the set \(\{\rho(e) : e \text{ an edge of } \hat P\}\). It is shown here that \(\mathcal{Q}_P\) is a Fano polytope (an integral polytope with the origin as its sole interior lattice point), it is terminal (each lattice point in its boundary is a vertex) and Gorenstein (its dual -- or polar -- polytope is also integral). The authors then go on to discuss conditions under which \(\mathcal{Q}_P\) is \(\mathbb{Q}\)-factorial (that is, simplicial) or smooth (the vertices of each facet forming a \(\mathbb{Z}\)-basis of \(\mathbb{Z}^d\)). For example, if \(P\) is pure, so that each of its maximal chains has the same length, then these two conditions are equivalent to each other, and also to \(P\) being a disjoint union of chains and \(\mathcal{Q}_P\) being a free sum of smooth Fano simplices.