An analogue of a theorem of Steinitz for ball polyhedra in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) (Q2123718)

A celebrated theorem by Ernst Steinitz from 1922 states that a graph \(G\) is the edge-graph, or 1-skeleton, of a 3-dimensional convex polyhedron if and only if \(G\) is simple, planar and 3-connected. The main result of this article is the following analogous theorem: Every simple, planar and 3-connected graph is also the edge-graph of a standard ball polyhedron in \({\mathbb{R}}^3\). Here, a \textit{ball polyhedron} is the intersection of finitely many unit balls in \({\mathbb{R}}^3\) where its face structure is given in a natural way: a point belonging to at least three of the spheres of the unit balls forming the intersection is a vertex, and a connected component of the intersection of two spheres of these unit balls is an edge, if it is a non-degenerate circular arc. A ball polyhedron is \textit{standard} if its vertex/edge/face structure forms a lattice w.r.t.~containment.