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Gruber P. Convex and Discrete Geometry

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27 Special Problems in the <strong>Geometry</strong> of Numbers 405<br />

The conjecture on the product of inhomogeneous linear forms<br />

DOTU-matrices<br />

Mordell’s inverse problem for the linear form theorem of Minkowski<br />

Minima of the Epstein zeta function<br />

Lattice points in large convex bodies<br />

A further group of special problems deals with homogeneous <strong>and</strong> inhomogeneous<br />

minima of indefinite quadratic forms. These problems have been solved, mainly<br />

through the efforts of the Indian school of the geometry of numbers of Bambah,<br />

Dumir <strong>and</strong> Hans-Gill <strong>and</strong> their students, see the survey by Bambah, Dumir <strong>and</strong> Hans-<br />

Gill [58]. While, in recent decades, much progress has been achieved for indefinite<br />

quadratic forms, there is not much advance visible on the other problems. Exceptions<br />

are the results of Narzullaev <strong>and</strong> Ramharter [765] on DOTU-matrices <strong>and</strong> the proof<br />

of McMullen [704] of the conjecture on the product of inhomogeneous linear forms<br />

for d = 6.<br />

For more detailed information, see the book of the author <strong>and</strong> Lekkerkerker [447]<br />

<strong>and</strong> the reports of Malyshev [682], Bambah [56], Bambah, Dumir <strong>and</strong> Hans-Gill [58]<br />

<strong>and</strong> Bayer-Fluckiger <strong>and</strong> Nebe [84]<br />

27.1 The Product of Inhomogeneous Linear Forms <strong>and</strong> DOTU Matrices<br />

A special problem, which has attracted interest since Minkowski first studied the<br />

2-dimensional case, is the conjecture on the product of inhomogeneous linear forms.<br />

In spite of numerous contributions, the general case is still open <strong>and</strong> there are doubts<br />

whether the conjecture is true generally. The conjecture is one of those seminal problems<br />

which, over a century, has generated numerous notions, problems <strong>and</strong> results of<br />

different types in number theory <strong>and</strong>, in particular, in the geometry of numbers. One<br />

such notion is that of DOTU-matrices. Tools used in this context <strong>and</strong>, in particular,<br />

tools to attack the conjecture range from algebraic topology to measure <strong>and</strong> algebraic<br />

number theory.<br />

In this section we state the conjecture, describe the main lines of attack, additional<br />

results <strong>and</strong> problems <strong>and</strong> make some remarks on DOTU-matrices.<br />

The reader who is interested in more precise information may wish to consult<br />

[447], Malyshev [682], Bambah [56], Bambah, Dumir <strong>and</strong> Hans-Gill [58] <strong>and</strong><br />

Narzullaev <strong>and</strong> Ramharter [765] <strong>and</strong> the references in these sources.<br />

The Conjecture on the Product of Inhomogeneous Linear Forms<br />

The following conjecture has been attributed to Minkowski, but according to Dyson<br />

[281] it is not contained in his written work.<br />

Conjecture 27.1. Let l1,...,ld be d real linear forms in d variables such that the<br />

absolute value δ of their determinant is positive. Then, for any α1,...,αd ∈ R, there<br />

is a point u ∈ Z d such that:<br />

�<br />

� � � � ��<br />

l1(u) − α1 ··· ld(u) − αd � ≤ δ<br />

.<br />

2d

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