From the Mahler conjecture to Gauss linking integrals (Q1024663)

Mahler's conjecture states that the volume product \(v(K)= (\text{Vol}K)(\text{Vol}K^o)\), where \(K\) is a symmetric convex body in \({\mathbb R}^n\) and \(K^o\) is its polar body with respect to the centre, attains its minimum if \(K\) is a parallelepiped (though for \(n>2\) not only in this case). \textit{J. Bourgain} and \textit{V. D. Milman} [Invent. Math. 88, 319--340 (1987; Zbl 0617.52006)] have shown that there exists a dimension-independent constant \(c>0\) such that \(v(K) \geq c^n v(C^n)\), where \(C^n\) is an \(n\)-cube. The present paper gives a new proof of this fact, which is remarkable under several aspects. The obtained constant \(c=4/\pi\) is the best one presently known. The proof uses a version of the Gauss linking integral and establishes a version of the so-called bottleneck conjecture, asserting that the volume of a certain domain \(K^\diamond\subseteq K\times K^o\) is minimized when \(K\) is an ellipsoid.