Über die Enge der gitterförmigen k-fachen Packung, die Lockerheit der gitterförmigen k-fachen Überdeckung und die k-Enge der gitterförmigen Punktmenge. (On the closeness of k-fold lattice packing, the looseness of k-fold lattice covering, and the k-closeness of the lattice point set) (Q1090940)

A set P (resp. C) of open (resp. closed) equal spheres in Euclidean n- space \(E^ n\) is called a k-fold lattice packing (resp. k-fold lattice covering) if the centres are the points of an n-dimensional lattice and every point of \(E^ n\) belongs to not more (resp. not fewer) than k spheres of P (resp. of C). The following problems are considered, where the first and the second were raised by L. Fejes Tóth: (1) Let P be a k-fold lattice packing of spheres of given radius r. Let \(\rho\) be the radius of a sphere every point of which is covered by at most k-1 spheres of P. Find P so that \(e^ n_ k(P)=\sup \rho\) is minimal. (2) Let C be a k-fold lattice covering by spheres of given radius R. Let \({\bar \rho}\) be the radius of a sphere every point of which is covered by at least \(k+1\) spheres of C. Find C so that \(\ell^ n_ k(C)=\sup {\bar \rho}\) is minimal. (3) An n-dimensional lattice A is called an \((r,R)_ k\)- system if the open spheres of radius r centred at the points of \(\Lambda\) form a k-fold packing, and the concentric closed spheres of radius R form a k-fold covering. For a given \((r,R)_ k\)-system let \(r^*\) be maximal and \(R^*\) minimal such that \(\Lambda\) is an \((r^*,R^*)_ k\)- system, and let \(h^ n_ k(\Lambda)=R^*/r^*\). Find a lattice \(\Lambda\) so that \(h^ n_ k(\Lambda)\) is minimal. In the present paper these problems are solved for \((n,k)=(2,2),(2,3),(2,4)\) and (3,2). The respective extremal lattices also provide densest k-fold lattice packings of n-dimensional spheres, as has been shown by \textit{A. Heppes} [Acta Math. Acad. Sci. Hung. 10, 141-148 (1959; Zbl 0086.155)] and \textit{L. Few} and \textit{P. Kanagasabapathy} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 44, 141-146 (1969; Zbl 0167.202)].