Gosset Polytopes in Picard Groups of del Pezzo Surfaces

http://dx.doi.org/10.4153/CJM-2011-063-6
Canad. J. Math. 64(2012), 123-150

  Published:2011-09-15
 Printed: Feb 2012

In this article, we study the correspondence between the geometry of del Pezzo surfaces $S_{r}$ and the geometry of the $r$-dimensional Gosset polytopes $(r-4)_{21}$. We construct Gosset polytopes $(r-4)_{21}$ in $\operatorname{Pic} S_{r}\otimes\mathbb{Q}$ whose vertices are lines, and we identify divisor classes in $\operatorname{Pic} S_{r}$ corresponding to $(a-1)$-simplexes ($a\leq r$), $(r-1)$-simplexes and $(r-1)$-crosspolytopes of the polytope $(r-4)_{21}$. Then we explain how these classes correspond to skew $a$-lines($a\leq r$), exceptional systems, and rulings, respectively. As an application, we work on the monoidal transform for lines to study the local geometry of the polytope $(r-4)_{21}$. And we show that the Gieser transformation and the Bertini transformation induce a symmetry of polytopes $3_{21}$ and $4_{21}$, respectively.