Milnor fiber complexes for Shephard groups (Q1173623)

Let \({\mathcal P}\) be a regular complex polytope, and \(G\) its symmetry group; the author calls this a Shephard group. In this paper, the author constructs a simplicial complex \(\Gamma_ G\) in the Milnor fibre of a \(G\)-invariant polynomial of minimal positive degree, which shares many of the properties of the Coxeter complex \(\Gamma_ W\) of a Coxeter group \(W\). When \({\mathcal P}\) is non-starry, there is a linear complex \(B({\mathcal P})\) which is homeomorphic to \(\Gamma_ G\); this bears the same relationship to the \(\Gamma_ G\) as the barycentric subdivision of a convex regular polytope does to the Coxeter complex of its symmetry group. With the aid of this complex, the author associates with \(G\) a Coxeter group \(W\), and also establishes that \(\Gamma_ G\) is a realization of the flag complex \(K_{\mathcal P}\) of \({\mathcal P}\), which is shown to be Cohen-Macaulay. Further, if \(G\) is of type \(P_ 1[q_ 1]p_ 2\dots p_{\ell-1}[q_{\ell-1}]p_ \ell\), has \(n\) reflexion hyperplanes, and the associated Petrie polygon has length \(h\), then the author shows that \[ n=h\sum_{k=1}^ \ell(1/p_ k), \] a formula which was conjectured by the reviewer.