Polytopal and nonpolytopal spheres an algorithmic approach

The convexity theory for oriented matroids, first developed by Las Vergnas [17], provides the framework for a new computational approach to the Steinitz problem [13]. We describe an algorithm which, for a given combinatorial (d − 2)-sphereS withn vertices, determines the setCd,n(S) of rankd oriented matroids withn points and face latticeS. SinceS is polytopal if and only if there is a realizableM εCd,n(S), this method together with the coordinatizability test for oriented matroids in [10] yields a decision procedure for the polytopality of a large class of spheres. As main new result we prove that there exist 431 combinatorial types of neighborly 5-polytopes with 10 vertices by establishing coordinates for 98 “doubted polytopes” in the classification of Altshuler [1]. We show that for alln ≧k + 5 ≧8 there exist simplicialk-spheres withn vertices which are non-polytopal due to the simple fact that they fail to be matroid spheres. On the other hand, we show that the 3-sphereM9639 with 9 vertices in [2] is the smallest non-polytopal matroid sphere, and non-polytopal matroidk-spheres withn vertices exist for alln ≧k + 6 ≧ 9.