Very ample but not normal lattice polytopes (Q1943361)

Let \(M\cong {\mathbb Z}^n\) be a lattice. A lattice polytope \(P\) in \(M\otimes_{\mathbb Z}{\mathbb R}\) is called normal if for any positive integer \(k\) \[ \underbrace{(P\cap M)+\cdots +(P\cap M)}_{k\text{ times}}=(kP)\cap M. \] It is called very ample if for every vertex \(v\) of \(P\) the affine monoid \({\mathbb R}_{\geq 0}(P-v)\cap M\) is generated by \((P-v)\cap M\). A normal lattice polytope is very ample. A well known result states that \(kP\) is normal for \(k\geq n-1\) and any \(n\)-dimensional lattice polytope \(P\) (cf.~\textit{E. Günter}, \textit{U. Wessels} [Result. Math. 19, No. 3--4, 275--278 (1991; Zbl 0739.14031)] and \textit{W. Bruns} et al., [J. Reine Angew. Math. 485, 123--160 (1997; Zbl 0866.20050)]). \textit{W. Bruns} and \textit{J. Gubeladze} [in: Geometry of toric varieties. Lectures of the summer school, Grenoble, France, June-19 July 7, 2000. Paris: Société Mathématique de France. 43--127 (2002; Zbl 1083.14057), and Polytopes, rings, and K-theory. Springer Monographs in Mathematics. New York: Springer (2009; Zbl 1168.13001)] gave examples of very ample but not normal lattice polytopes of dimension three and five. The main result of the paper under review is a construction of a example of an \(n\)-dimensional very ample lattice polytope \(P\) for any \(n\geq 3\), such that \((n-2)P\) is not normal. Moreover, for \(n\geq 4\), the polytope \(P\) is not normal. The constructed polytope \(P\) is a sum of a line segment and a \(n\)-dimensional simplex. The rest of the paper is devoted to some criteria of normality, non-normality and very ampleness of \(3\)-dimensional polytopes of width one which are the Minkowski sums of lattice simplices and line segments.