The tight span of an antipodal metric space. II: Geometrical properties (Q1889915)

For a finite metric space \((X,d)\) the tight span \(T(X,d)\) of \((X,d)\) is the polyhedral complex that consists of the bounded faces of the polyhedron \(P(X,d)=\{f\in\mathbb{R}^X\mid f(x)+f(y)\geq d(x,y)\) for all \(x,y\in X\}\). It was introduced by \textit{J. R. Isbell} in [Comment. Math. Helv. 39, 65--76 (1964; Zbl 0151.30205)] and subsequently rediscovered by \textit{A. Dress} in [Adv. Math. 53, 321--402 (1984; Zbl 0562.54041)]. In Part I of this paper [Discrete Math. (to appear)] the authors have studied combinatorial properties of the tight span \(T(X,d)\) of an antipodal metric space \((X,d)\), i.e., of a finite metric space \((X,d)\) which has an involution \(\sigma:X\to X\) such that, for all \(x,y\in X\), \(d(x,y)+d(y,\sigma (x))=d(x,\sigma(x))\). In the underlying Part II they investigate geometrical properties of the tight span \(T(X,d)\) of an antipodal metric space \((X,d)\) that arise from a metric with which \(T(X,d)\) can be naturally equipped. In particular, they introduce cell-decomposable finite metric spaces and show that every cell in the tight span of a cell-decomposable metric space can be basically regarded as being the tight span of an antipodal metric space. Additionally, they classify antipodal cell-decomposable metric spaces and give a description of the polytopal structure of the tight span of such metric spaces.