On the Classification of Reflexive Polyhedra

During the last years we have generated a large number of data related to Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in toric varieties which can be described by reflexive polyhedra. We classified all reflexive polyhedra in three dimensions leading to K3 hypersurfaces and have nearly completed the four dimensional case relevant to Calabi-Yau threefolds. In addition, we have analysed for many of the resulting spaces whether they allow fibration structures of the types that are relevant in the c...

Four dimensional reflexive polyhedra encode the data for smooth Calabi-Yau threefolds that are hypersurfaces in toric varieties, and have important applications both in perturbative and in non-perturbative string theory. We describe how we obtained all 473,800,776 reflexive polyhedra that exist in four dimensions and the 30,108 distinct pairs of Hodge numbers of the resulting Calabi-Yau manifolds. As a by-product we show that all these spaces (and hence the corresponding stri...

For any given dimension $d$, all reflexive $d$-polytopes can be found (in principle) as subpolytopes of a number of maximal polyhedra that are defined in terms of $(d+1)$-tuples of integers (weights), or combinations of $k$-tuples of weights with $k<d+1$. We present the results of a complete classification of sextuples of weights pertaining to the construction of all reflexive polytopes in five dimensions. We find 322 383 760 930 such weight systems. 185 269 499 015 of them g...

We describe our package PALP of C programs for calculations with lattice polytopes and applications to toric geometry, which is freely available on the internet. It contains routines for vertex and facet enumeration, computation of incidences and symmetries, as well as completion of the set of lattice points in the convex hull of a given set of points. In addition, there are procedures specialised to reflexive polytopes such as the enumeration of reflexive subpolytopes, and...

We present the last missing details of our algorithm for the classification of reflexive polyhedra in arbitrary dimensions. We also present the results of an application of this algorithm to the case of three dimensional reflexive polyhedra. We get 4319 such polyhedra that give rise to K3 surfaces embedded in toric varieties. 16 of these contain all others as subpolyhedra. The 4319 polyhedra form a single connected web if we define two polyhedra to be connected if one of them...

According to a recently proposed scheme for the classification of reflexive polyhedra, weight systems of a certain type play a prominent role. These weight systems are classified for the cases $n=3$ and $n=4$, corresponding to toric varieties with K3 and Calabi--Yau hypersurfaces, respectively. For $n=3$ we find the well known 95 weight systems corresponding to weighted $\IP^3$'s that allow transverse polynomials, whereas for $n=4$ there are 184026 weight systems, including t...

This is an informal introduction to the concept of reflexive polyhedra and some of their most important applications in perturbative and non-perturbative string physics. Following the historical development, topics like mirror symmetry, gauged linear sigma models, and the geometrical structures relevant to string and F-theory dualities are discussed. Finally some recent developments concerning the classification of reflexive polyhedra are mentioned.

In this expository note, we review the standard formulation of mirror symmetry for Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in toric varieties, and compare this construction to a description of mirror symmetry for K3 surfaces which relies on a sublattice of the Picard lattice. We then show how to combine information about the Picard group of a toric ambient space with data about automorphisms of the toric variety to identify families of K3 surfaces with high Picard rank.

We propose to take a look at a new approach to the study of integral polyhedra. The main idea is to give an integral representation, or matrix model representation, for the key combinatorial characteristics of integral polytopes. Based on the well-known geometric interpretations of matrix model digram techniques, we construct a new model that enumerates triangulations, subdivisions, and numbers of integral points of integral polygons. This approach allows us to look at their ...

Calabi-Yau manifolds can be obtained as hypersurfaces in toric varieties built from reflexive polytopes. We generate reflexive polytopes in various dimensions using a genetic algorithm. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate that our algorithm reproduces the full set of reflexive polytopes in two and three dimensions, and in four dimensions with a small number of vertices and points. Motivated by this result, we construct five-dimensional reflexive polytopes with the lowest ...