Sphere packings. III: Extremal cases

DOI10.1007/S00454-005-1212-0MaRDI QIDQ734998zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Thomas C. Hales

Publication date 14 October 2009

Published in Discrete \& Computational Geometry (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9811075

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Combinatorial aspects of packing and covering (05B40) Lattice packing and covering (number-theoretic aspects) (11H31) Packing and covering in (n) dimensions (aspects of discrete geometry) (52C17)

Abstract: This is the fifth in a series of papers giving a proof of the Kepler conjecture, which asserts that the density of a packing of congruent spheres in three dimensions is never greater than $pi/sqrt18approx\mathrm{0.74048...}$. This is the oldest problem in discrete geometry and is an important part of Hilbert's 18th problem. An example of a packing achieving this density is the face-centered cubic packing. This paper carries out the third step of the program outlined in math.MG/9811073: A proof that if all of the standard regions are triangles or quadrilaterals, then the total score is less than $8pt$ (excluding the case of pentagonal prisms).

Review text

This paper is the third in the series of six papers by the author devoted to the proof of the Kepler's conjecture, all in Discrete Comput. Geom. 36, no. 1. This famous conjecture, open since 1611, asserts that no packing of congruent balls in three dimensions has density greater than the face-centered cubic packing. In the previous paper of this series a compact topological space of decomposition stars was defined, and a continuous scoring function on this space was introduced. Moreover, Kepler's conjecture was related to a certain conjecture about location of global maxima of this scoring function. The goal of the current paper is to prove that the two conjectured global maxima of the scoring function (corresponding to decomposition stars of the face-centered cubic and hexagonal-close packings) are at least local maxima. In addition, general upper bounds for the scoring function on various other decomposition stars are obtained.

Recommendations

• Sphere packings. IV: Detailed bounds
• Sphere packings. V: Pentahedral prisms
• Sphere packings. I
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Cited in

(18)

• Sphere-packing and volume in hyperbolic 3-space
• The dimensional family approach in (hyper)sphere packing: A typological study of new patterns, structures, and interdimensional functions
• Sphere packings. II
• The antipode construction for sphere packings
• Sphere packings. I
• A proof of the Kepler conjecture
• Kepler's Spheres and Rubik's Cube
• The 3-ball is a local pessimum for packing
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 537026 (Why is no real title available?)
• Contact numbers for congruent sphere packings in Euclidean 3-space
• Particle packing and the mean theory
• ON A STRONG VERSION OF THE KEPLER CONJECTURE
• Towards a proof of the 24-cell conjecture
• A formulation of the Kepler conjecture
• Sphere packings. IV: Detailed bounds
• Sphere packings. V: Pentahedral prisms
• Sphere packings. VI: Tame graphs and linear programs
• A revision of the proof of the Kepler conjecture

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