16-cell honeycomb

16-cell honeycomb
Perspective projection: the first layer of adjacent 16-cell facets.
Type	Regular 4-space honeycomb Uniform 4-honeycomb
Family	Alternated hypercube honeycomb
Schläfli symbol	{3,3,4,3}
Coxeter-Dynkin diagram
4-face type	{3,3,4}
Cell type	{3,3}
Face type	{3}
Edge figure	cube
Vertex figure	24-cell
Coxeter group	${\tilde {F}}_{4}$ = [3,3,4,3]
Dual	{3,4,3,3}
Properties	vertex-transitive, edge-transitive, face-transitive, cell-transitive

In four-dimensional Euclidean geometry, the 16-cell honeycomb is the one of three regular space-filling tessellation (or honeycomb) in Euclidean 4-space. The other two are its dual the 24-cell honeycomb, and the tesseractic honeycomb. This honeycomb is constructed from 16-cell facets, three around every face. It has a 24-cell vertex figure.

This vertex arrangement or lattice is called the B₄, D₄, or F₄ lattice.

Alternate names

• Hexadecachoric tetracomb/honeycomb
• Demitesseractic tetracomb/honeycomb

As a regular honeycomb, {3,3,4,3}, it has no lower dimensional analogues, but as an alternated form (the demitesseractic honeycomb, h{4,3,3,4}) it is related to the alternated cubic honeycomb.

Vertices can be placed at all integer coordinates (i,j,k,l), such that the sum of the coordinates is even.

D4 lattice

Its vertex arrangement is called the D₄ lattice or F₄ lattice. The vertices of this lattice are the centers of the 3-spheres in the densest possible packing of equal spheres in 4-space; its kissing number is 24, which is also the highest possible in 4-space.

=

The D⁺
₄ lattice (also called D²
₄) can be constructed by the union of two 4-demicubic lattices, and is identical to the tesseractic honeycomb:

∪ = =

This packing is only a lattice for even dimensions. The kissing number is 2³=8, (2^n-1 for n<8, 240 for n=8, and 2n(n-1) for n>8).

The D^*
₄ lattice (also called D⁴
₄ and C²
₄) can be constructed by the union of all four 5-demicubic honeycombs, but it is identical to the D₄ lattice: It is also the 4-dimensional body centered cubic, the union of two 4-cube honeycombs in dual positions.

∪ ∪ ∪ = = ∪ .

The kissing number of the D^*
₄ lattice (and D₄ lattice) is 24 and its Voronoi tessellation is a 24-cell honeycomb, , containing all rectified 16-cells (24-cell) Voronoi cells, or .

Symmetry constructions

There are three different symmetry constructions of this tessellation. Each symmetry can be represented by different arrangements of colored 16-cell facets.

Name	Coxeter group	Schläfli symbol	Coxeter diagram	Vertex figure Symmetry	Facets/verf
16-cell honeycomb	${\tilde {F}}_{4}$ = [3,3,4,3]	{3,3,4,3}		[3,4,3], order 1152	24: 16-cell
4-demicube honeycomb	${\tilde {B}}_{4}$ = [31,1,3,4]	= h{4,3,3,4}	=	[3,3,4], order 384	16+8: 16-cell
	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$ = [31,1,1,1]	{3,31,1,1} = h{4,3,31,1}	=	[31,1,1], order 192	8+8+8: 16-cell

Related honeycombs

The [3,4,3,3], , Coxeter group generates 31 permutations of uniform tessellations, 28 are unique in this family and ten are shared in the [4,3,3,4] and [4,3,3^1,1] families. The alternation (13) is also repeated in other families.

F4 honeycombs
Extended symmetry	Extended diagram	Order	Honeycombs
[3,3,4,3]		×1	1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
[3,4,3,3]		×1	2, 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
[(3,3)[3,3,4,3*]] =[(3,3)[31,1,1,1]] =[3,4,3,3]	= =	×4	(2), (4), (7), (13)

The [4,3,3,4], , Coxeter group generates 31 permutations of uniform tessellations, 21 with distinct symmetry and 20 with distinct geometry. The expanded tesseractic honeycomb (also known as the stericated tesseractic honeycomb) is geometrically identical to the tesseractic honeycomb. Three of the symmetric honeycombs are shared in the [3,4,3,3] family. Two alternations (13) and (17), and the quarter tesseractic (2) are repeated in other families.

C4 honeycombs
Extended symmetry	Extended diagram	Order	Honeycombs
[4,3,3,4]:		×1	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
[[4,3,3,4]]		×2	(1), (2), (13), 18 (6), 19, 20
[(3,3)[1+,4,3,3,4,1+]] ↔ [(3,3)[31,1,1,1]] ↔ [3,4,3,3]	↔ ↔	×6	14, 15, 16, 17

The [4,3,3^1,1], , Coxeter group generates 31 permutations of uniform tessellations, 23 with distinct symmetry and 4 with distinct geometry. There are two alternated forms: the alternations (19) and (24) have the same geometry as the 16-cell honeycomb and snub 24-cell honeycomb respectively.

B4 honeycombs
Extended symmetry	Extended diagram	Order	Honeycombs
[4,3,31,1]:		×1	5, 6, 7, 8
<[4,3,31,1]>: ↔[4,3,3,4]	↔	×2	9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, (10), 15, 16, (13), 17, 18, 19
[3[1+,4,3,31,1]] ↔ [3[3,31,1,1]] ↔ [3,3,4,3]	↔ ↔	×3	1, 2, 3, 4
[(3,3)[1+,4,3,31,1]] ↔ [(3,3)[31,1,1,1]] ↔ [3,4,3,3]	↔ ↔	×12	20, 21, 22, 23

There are ten uniform honeycombs constructed by the ${\tilde {D}}_{4}$ Coxeter group, all repeated in other families by extended symmetry, seen in the graph symmetry of rings in the Coxeter–Dynkin diagrams. The 10th is constructed as an alternation. As subgroups in Coxeter notation: [3,4,(3,3)^*] (index 24), [3,3,4,3^*] (index 6), [1⁺,4,3,3,4,1⁺] (index 4), [3^1,1,3,4,1⁺] (index 2) are all isomorphic to [3^1,1,1,1].

The ten permutations are listed with its highest extended symmetry relation:

D4 honeycombs
Extended symmetry	Extended diagram	Extended group	Honeycombs
[31,1,1,1]		${\tilde {D}}_{4}$	(none)
<[31,1,1,1]> ↔ [31,1,3,4]	↔	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×2 = ${\tilde {B}}_{4}$	(none)
<2[1,131,1]> ↔ [4,3,3,4]	↔	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×4 = ${\tilde {C}}_{4}$	1, 2
[3[3,31,1,1]] ↔ [3,3,4,3]	↔	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×6 = ${\tilde {F}}_{4}$	3, 4, 5, 6
[4[1,131,1]] ↔ [[4,3,3,4]]	↔	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×8 = ${\tilde {C}}_{4}$×2	7, 8, 9
[(3,3)[31,1,1,1]] ↔ [3,4,3,3]	↔	${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×24 = ${\tilde {F}}_{4}$
[(3,3)[31,1,1,1]]+ ↔ [3+,4,3,3]	↔	½${\tilde {D}}_{4}$×24 = ½${\tilde {F}}_{4}$	10

See also

Regular and uniform honeycombs in 4-space:

• Tesseractic honeycomb
• 24-cell honeycomb
• Truncated 24-cell honeycomb
• Snub 24-cell honeycomb
• 5-cell honeycomb
• Truncated 5-cell honeycomb
• Omnitruncated 5-cell honeycomb

References

• Coxeter, H.S.M. Regular Polytopes, (3rd edition, 1973), Dover edition, ISBN 0-486-61480-8
  • pp. 154–156: Partial truncation or alternation, represented by h prefix: h{4,4} = {4,4}; h{4,3,4} = {3^1,1,4}, h{4,3,3,4} = {3,3,4,3}, ...
• Kaleidoscopes: Selected Writings of H.S.M. Coxeter, edited by F. Arthur Sherk, Peter McMullen, Anthony C. Thompson, Asia Ivic Weiss, Wiley-Interscience Publication, 1995, ISBN 978-0-471-01003-6 [1]
  • (Paper 24) H.S.M. Coxeter, Regular and Semi-Regular Polytopes III, [Math. Zeit. 200 (1988) 3-45]
• George Olshevsky, Uniform Panoploid Tetracombs, Manuscript (2006) (Complete list of 11 convex uniform tilings, 28 convex uniform honeycombs, and 143 convex uniform tetracombs)
• Klitzing, Richard. "4D Euclidean tesselations". x3o3o4o3o - hext - O104
• Conway JH, Sloane NJH (1998). Sphere Packings, Lattices and Groups (3rd ed.). ISBN 0-387-98585-9.

Fundamental convex regular and uniform honeycombs in dimensions 2–9
Space	Family	${\tilde {A}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {C}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {B}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {D}}_{n-1}$	${\tilde {G}}_{2}$ / ${\tilde {F}}_{4}$ / ${\tilde {E}}_{n-1}$
E2	Uniform tiling	0[3]	δ3	hδ3	qδ3	Hexagonal
E3	Uniform convex honeycomb	0[4]	δ4	hδ4	qδ4
E4	Uniform 4-honeycomb	0[5]	δ5	hδ5	qδ5	24-cell honeycomb
E5	Uniform 5-honeycomb	0[6]	δ6	hδ6	qδ6
E6	Uniform 6-honeycomb	0[7]	δ7	hδ7	qδ7	222
E7	Uniform 7-honeycomb	0[8]	δ8	hδ8	qδ8	133 • 331
E8	Uniform 8-honeycomb	0[9]	δ9	hδ9	qδ9	152 • 251 • 521
E9	Uniform 9-honeycomb	0[10]	δ10	hδ10	qδ10
E10	Uniform 10-honeycomb	0[11]	δ11	hδ11	qδ11
En-1	Uniform (n-1)-honeycomb	0[n]	δn	hδn	qδn	1k2 • 2k1 • k21