Polytopes, invariants and harmonic functions (Q2707466)

Let \(P\) be a polytope in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and for \(k= 0,1,\dots, n\) let \(P(k)\) be the \(k\)-skeleton of \(P\). A function \(f\) in \(C(\mathbb{R}^n)\) is called \(P(k)\)-harmonic if \(f\) has the mean value property with respect to \(P(k)\), that is, NEWLINE\[NEWLINEf(x)= (\mu_k(P(k)))^{-1} \int_{P(k)}f(x+ ry) d\mu_k(y)NEWLINE\]NEWLINE for all \(x\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) and all sufficiently small positive numbers \(r\), where \(\mu_k\) denotes \(k\)-dimensional measure. Let \({\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\) denote the space of all such functions \(f\), and let \(G\) denote the symmetry group of \(P\).NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe author surveys some recent work. General results of his are: (1) \({\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\) is a finite-dimensional linear space of polynomials; (2) \(\dim{\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\geq|G|\); (3) if \(G\) is irreducible, then the elements of \({\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\) are harmonic. In the case where \(P\) is a regular convex polytope other than a hypercube it has been shown that \({\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\) is independent of \(k\) and \(\dim{\mathcal H}_{P(k)}=|G|\), and these results are conjectured to hold when \(P\) is a hypercube also. Some details are given concerning the case where \(P\) is an arbitrary triangle. In the general case a theorem is stated to the effect that the elements of \({\mathcal H}_{P(k)}\) are characterized as solutions of an infinite system of partial differential equations.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEThe original source for several of the results is the author's paper in Discrete Comput. Geom. 17, No. 2, 163-189 (1997; Zbl 0872.39014).NEWLINENEWLINEFor the entire collection see [Zbl 0952.00034].