Lattice simplices of maximal dimension with a given degree (Q2286799)

Motivated by the problem of classifying \textit{lattice polytopes}, that is, convex polytopes all of whose vertices lie in the integer lattice \(\mathbb{Z}^d\), with respect to natural parameters, the author studies the relationship of the dimension \(d\) of such a polytope \(P \subseteq \mathbb{R}^d\) and its \textit{degree} \(s\). The parameter \(s\) is just the degree of the \textit{\(h^*\)-polynomial} \(h^*_P(t)\) of \(P\), defined by the well-known generating function identity \[ \sum_{n \geq 0} |nP \cap \mathbb{Z}^d| \, t^n = \frac{h^*_P(t)}{(1-t)^{d+1}}. \] The starting point of the paper is a result of \textit{B. Nill} [Eur. J. Comb. 29, No. 7, 1596--1602 (2008; Zbl 1149.52013)] who proved that the dimension of a lattice \textit{simplex} that is not a lattice pyramid and whose degree is at most \(s\) is upper bounded by \(4s-2\). The main result of the paper is a characterization of the extremal lattice simplices in this statement: A lattice simplex of degree \(s\) and dimension \(4s-2\) that is not a lattice pyramid is unimodularly equivalent to the simplex \(\Delta(r+2)\), where \(s=2^r\), \(r \in \mathbb{Z}_{\geq0}\), and where \(\Delta(r+2)\) is uniquely determined by \(r\) and the so-called \((r+2)\)-dimensional \textit{binary simplex code}. As a further insight the simplices \(\Delta(r+2)\) are shown to be counterexamples to what was known as the \textit{Cayley conjecture} -- a structural statement on the decomposition of a lattice polytope whose degree is smaller than half its dimension. A modified conjecture is offered for future studies. The arguments in the proofs crucially rely on a characterization due to \textit{V. Batyrev} and \textit{J. Hofscheier} [``Lattice polytopes, finite abelian subgroups in $\mathrm{SL}(n,\mathbb{C})$ and coding theory'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1309.5312}] of lattice simplices that are not lattice pyramids in terms of an associated finite abelian group.