On perfect 4-polytopes (Q1610978)

A polytope is perfect if it cannot be deformed without changing its symmetry group. Examples include the regular polytopes. The perfect polytopes in 2 and 3 dimension are known, and were thought to be known in 4 dimensions. Rostami conjectured that all perfect \(4\)-polytopes are either convex hulls of the orbit of a fundamental domain of a finite reflection group, or are constructed in a simple way from a regular polygon (see section 3.1 of the article under review for more details). Work by \textit{T. M. Madden} [Beitr. Algebra Geom. 36, 261--279 (1995; Zbl 0838.52016)] appeared to close the classification problem of perfect \(4\)-polytopes, by confirming Rostami's conjecture. The article under review reopens this classification problem, disproving the conjecture and illustrating errors in Madden's proof. Two previously unnoted classes of perfect \(4\)-polytopes are given and shown not to agree with the conjecture. One of the classes is infinite. The polytopes in both classes are kinds of Wythoff polytopes. The article is an important work in the study of perfect polytopes, and may be expected to have important sequels.