Simpler tests for semisparse subgroups (Q858022)

This review was contributed by the author of the article: A regular abstract polytope \(P\) is an abstract polytope whose automorphism group acts transitively on the set of its flags. Given a subgroup \(N\) of the automorphism group, a partial order may be imposed on the orbits of the faces of the polytope in an obvious way. This new poset, the quotient of the original polytope by \(N\), is denoted \(P/N\), and will often itself be a polytope. Schulte and McMullen gave necessary and sufficient conditions on \(N\) for \(P/N\) to be a polytope. Their conditions were simplified by \textit{M. I. Hartley} in [Aequationes Math. 57, No. 1, 108--120 (1999; Zbl 0927.51027)], with the goal of making them feasible to use for computation. In this article, simpler conditions still are derived for special classes of polytopes, for example when the facets of \(P\) have no proper quotients. These methods allowed, for example, the quotients of the universal \(\{\{5,3\},\{3,5\}_5\}\) to be enumerated in [\textit{M. I. Hartley} and \textit{D. Leemans}, Math. Z. 247, No. 4, 663--674 (2004); erratum ibid. 253, No. 2, 433--434 (2006; Zbl 1071.51013)]. The article under review applies its techniques to derive a non-regular polytope whose facets are all topologically Klein bottles. Results are given regarding circumstances under which \(P/M\) will be a polytope, for subgroups \(M\) of \(N\).