Dedekind-Carlitz polynomials as lattice-point enumerators in rational polyhedra (Q930550)

This paper sheds a new light on Carlitz-Dedekind sums by giving a geometric insight of their related reciprocity laws. Recall that Dedekind sums are defined by \(s(a,b) = \sum_{k=0}^{b-1} \left(\left( \frac{ka}{b} \right) \right) \left(\left( \frac{k}{b} \right) \right)\) where \(((x))\) is the sawtooth function and Dedekind-Carlitz polynomials defined by \(c(u,v ; a,b) = \sum_{k=1}^{b-1} u^{[\frac{ka}{b}]} v^{k-1}\). Inspired by the occurence of Dedekind sums in lattice point enumerators for rational polyhedra, the authors give a new proof of the reciprocity formulas \(s(a,b) + s(b,a) = -\frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{12} \left(\frac{a}{b} + \frac{1}{ab} + \frac{b}{a}\right) \) and \((v-1) c(u,v;a,b) + (u-1)c(v,u;b,a) = u^{a-1} v^{b-1}-1\) initially proven by Carlitz. In the process, they show more general reciprocity laws. Using a result of Barvinok, they conclude on the computability of the Dedekind-Carlitz polynomials in polynomial time. Using Brion's conic decomposition, they relate the Dedekind Carlitz polynomials and the integer point transform \(\sigma_\Delta\) of the triangle \(\Delta\) of vertices \((0,0)\), \((a,0)\) and \((0,b)\) : \[ (u-1) \sigma_\Delta(u,v) = u^a v c(\frac{1}{u}, v ; a,b) + u (u^a + v^b) - \frac{v^{b+1}-1}{v-1}. \] Finally, they give a geometric interpretation of the computation of the Ehrhart polynomial of the Mordell-Pommersheim tetrahedron of vertices \((0,0,0)\), \((a,0,0)\), \((0,b,0)\) and \((0,0,c)\).