Ehrhart polynomials and stringy Betti numbers (Q2575648)

Fix a lattice \(L\) of rank \(d\), and let \(P\) be a \(d\)-dimensional lattice polytope in \(L \otimes_{\mathbb Z} {\mathbb R}\), i.e., the convex hull of finitely many points in \(L\). The lattice-point counting function \[ i(P,t) := \# \left( tP \cap L \right) \] is a polynomial in the positive integer variable \(r\), by Ehrhart's fundamental theorem [\textit{E. Ehr\-hart}, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 254, 616--618 (1962; Zbl 0100.27601)]. Hence the generating function (the \textit{Ehrhart series}) of \(i(P,r)\) is a rational function of the form \[ E(P,x) := \sum_{ t \geq 0 } i(P,t) \, x^t = {{ h_d x^d + h_{ d-1 } x^{ d-1 } + \cdots + h_0 } \over { (1-x)^{ d+1 } }} \;, \] and Stanley [\textit{R. P. Stanley}, Ann. Discrete Math. 6, 333--342 (1980; Zbl 0812.52012)] proved that the \(h_k\)'s are nonnegative integers. The paper under review studies the numerator of the Ehrhart series in the case that \(P\) is \textit{reflexive}, that is, the polar dual of \(P\) is a lattice polytope in the dual lattice of \(L\). Hibi [\textit{T. Hibi}, Combinatorica 12, No. 2, 237--240 (1992; Zbl 0758.52009)] proved that, given a lattice polytope \(P\) that contains the origin, \(P\) is reflexive if and only if \(h_k = h_{ d-k }\), i.e., the numerator polynomial of \(E(P,x)\) is palindromic. Hibi conjectured that for a reflexive polytope, this polynomial is also unimodal, i.e., \(h_0 \leq h_1 \leq \cdots \leq h_{ \lfloor d/2 \rfloor }\). The authors give a combinatorial formula for the numerator polynomial of \(E(P,x)\) for the case that \(P\) is reflexive, as a positive linear combination of shifted \(h\)-vectors of simplicial polytopes. They arrive at their formula by equating the coefficients of \(E(P,x)\) to the stringy Betti numbers of a complete Gorenstein toric variety. They also give a direct proof of their formula using only combinatorial arguments. The authors use their formula to construct counterexamples to Hibi's conjecture, i.e., they construct polytopes \(P\) for which the numerator polynomial of \(E(P,x)\) is not unimodal.