The discrete Shephard conjecture for volume polynomials of two lattice polytopes

Let F(x,y)=i=0d(di)aixiydiF(x,y)=\sum_{i=0}^d{d\choose i}a_ix^iy^{d-i} be a degree dd form, where a0,,ada_0,\dots,a_d are non-negative integers satisfying

aikaj+kaiaja_{i-k}a_{j+k}\leq a_ia_j

for all 0ijd0\leq i\leq j\leq d and 0kmin(i,dj)0\leq k\leq\min(i,d-j). The discrete Shephard conjecture. There exist lattice polytopes P,QRdP,Q\subset\mathbb R^d such that

F(x,y)=Vold(xP+yQ).F(x,y)=\operatorname{Vol}_d(xP+yQ).

This is the discrete counterpart of Shephard's characterization of volume polynomials for pairs of convex bodies, whose coefficients satisfy log-concavity inequalities. The statement is confirmed for d=2d=2 by the theorem cited in the source, while the general case remains open.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Ivan Soprunov and Jenya Soprunova, “The volume polynomial of lattice polygons”, arXiv:2401.06111 (2024).

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