Universal optimality of the hexagonal, E8, and Leech lattices among periodic configurations

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Let Λ2\Lambda_2, Λ8\Lambda_8, and Λ24\Lambda_{24} be the hexagonal lattice in R2\mathbb{R}^2, the E8E_8 root lattice in R8\mathbb{R}^8, and the Leech lattice in R24\mathbb{R}^{24}, respectively. Let f ⁣:(0,∞)→Rf\colon(0,\infty)\to\mathbb{R} be completely monotonic and satisfy

f(x)=O(∣x∣−n/2−ε)as ∣x∣→∞f(x)=O\bigl(|x|^{-n/2-\varepsilon}\bigr)\quad\text{as }|x|\to\infty

for some ε>0\varepsilon>0. A periodic configuration has least ff-potential energy at its density if its ff-potential energy is no greater than that of every periodic configuration of the same density. Universal optimality conjecture. For n∈{2,8,24}n\in\{2,8,24\}, there exists a function hh satisfying the hypotheses of Proposition 10.1, or the proposition referred to in the source, such that hh proves that Λn\Lambda_n has the least ff-potential energy of any periodic configuration in Rn\mathbb{R}^n with its density. If true, these lattices would be universally optimal configurations in Euclidean space; the statement remains open in the source.

References

Primary source

Henry Cohn and Abhinav Kumar, “Universally optimal distribution of points on spheres”, arXiv:math/0607446 (2006).

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