Zonotopes with large 2D-cuts (Q1042447)

With their ``Ukrainian easter eggs'' Eppstein et al. displayed 3-dimensional zonotopes with \(n\) zones (Minkowski sums of \(n\) line segments) that have 2-dimensional sections with \(\Omega(n^2)\) vertices. Here the authors generalize this result by proving that for every \(d\geq 2\) the maximal complexity (number of vertices) for a 2-dimensional section of a \(d\)-dimensional zonotope with \(n\) zones is \(\Theta(n^{d-1})\). Whereas the upper bound for this is not too hard to prove, the authors obtain lower bounds by considering the polar duals of the zonotopes. For these they prove: The maximum complexity for a 2-dimensional shadow (projection) of the dual of a \(d\)-dimensional zonotope with \(n\) zones is \(\Theta(n^{d-1})\). So there are \(d\)-dimensional zonotopes with \(n\) zones for which a 2-dimensional central section has \(\Omega(n^{d-1})\) vertices, and for any \(d\geq 2\) this result is asymptotically optimal.