On the non-existence of 3-dimensional tiling in the Lee metric (Q1266370)

A Lee sphere of size \(r\) is a centrally symmetric face-to-face union of unit cubes whose centres lie inside a sphere of radius \(r\) in the \(|\cdot|_1\) (or Manhattan or taxicab or Lee) metric. Lee spheres of size \(0\) are cubes, those of size \(1\) are crosses. Verifying a conjecture of Golomb and Welch (1968) (for \(n=3\)), it is shown that there is no tiling of 3-space by Lee spheres of size at least \(2\). Moreover, a tiling by Lee spheres of size at least \(1\) always is face-to-face, and (without proof) does not contain any larger spheres, (i.e., a tiling of 3-space by Lee spheres either is a tiling by crosses, or it contains cubes). The proof is based on a case-by-case analysis of the types of neighbourhoods which are possible for a fixed tile, considering a cross-section by a plane which meets that tile in a (2-dimensional) cross, and a parallel cross-section (at distance 1).