On the covering multiplicity of lattices (Q1193702)

Let \(\Lambda\) be a lattice with covering radius \(R\), so that closed balls of radius \(R\) just cover the space. The covering multiplicity \(CM(\Lambda)\) is the maximal number of times the interiors of these balls overlap. The authors show that the least possible covering multiplicity for an \(n\)-dimensional lattice is \(n\) if \(n\leq 8\) and conjecture that it exceeds \(n\) in all other cases. The authors determine \(CM(\Lambda)\) for some of the classical lattices.