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Fix missing sign, and other minor
Ben Mares
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Note that $\sqrt2\Lambda$ is even, and $\mathrm{vol}(\sqrt2\Lambda)^2=\det(A)$, where $A$ is the Gram matrix of $\sqrt2\Lambda$. Thus $\mathrm{vol}(\Lambda)=2^{-n/2}\sqrt{\det(A)}$, so the smallest possible volume in dimension $n$ is determined by the smallest determinant of an even $n$-dimensional lattice.

The smallest determinant question is answered in the lemma of section 5 in Conway & Sloane's Lattices with Few Distances. The answer is $8$-periodic in $n$, given by

$n\ (\mathrm{mod}\ 8)$ $0$ $1$ $2$ $3$ $4$ $5$ $6$ $7$ $8$
$\Lambda_0$ $\{0\}$ $A_1$ $A_2$ $D_3$ $D_4$ $D_5$ $E_6$ $E_7$ $E_8$
$\det A$ $1$ $2$ $3$ $4$ $4$ $4$ $3$ $2$ $1$

where the minimum for a particular $n$ is achieved (usually not uniquely!) by the orthogonal sum of $\Lambda_0$ with some number of copies of $E_8$.

That one cannot do better follows from the classification of even forms of small determinant, SPLAG 15.8, table 15.4: if $\det A<4$ then the mod-8 signature is $\pm (\det A-1)$.

Returning to the original question, this shows \begin{align} \liminf_{n\to\infty}\ 2^{n/2}\mathrm{vol}(\Lambda) =1,\\ \limsup_{n\to\infty}\ 2^{n/2}\mathrm{vol}(\Lambda) =2. \end{align}

Ben Mares
  • 401
  • 3
  • 9