Regular incidence-polytopes with Euclidean or toroidal faces and vertex- figures (Q1070523)

Regular incidence-polytopes are abstract partially ordered sets of faces of various dimensions with a flag-transitive automorphism group. These are generalizations of the classical regular polytopes and of the reflexible regular maps on the torus. The faces and co-faces \((=vertex\) figures) of a regular incidence-polytope are again regular incidence- polytopes. In the present paper the author studies the inverse problem of finding regular incidence-polytopes with preassigned faces and co-faces which are assumed to be either euclidean or toroidal. For example, find a regular incidence-polytope whose faces are octahedra \(\{\) 3,4\(\}\) and whose vertex figures are cubes \(\{\) 4,3\(\}\). In this case the classical 24-cell \(\{\) 3,4,3\(\}\) will be one (but not the only) solution. The construction is given in a group theoretic setting by a certain amalgamation process of the group of the face and the co-face. The author obtains a list of new 4- and 5-dimensional regular incidence-polytopes. The relationship with the notion of a regular polystroma and with similar constructions by Coxeter, Shephard, Grünbaum, Danzer and Weiss is explained in some detail. Forthcoming papers of the author will give more examples by other constructions.