Positive Polynomials, Convex Integral Polytopes, and a Random Walk Problem

Emanating from the theory of C*-algebras and actions of tori theoren, the problems discussed here are outgrowths of random walk problems on lattices. An AGL (d,Z)-invariant (which is a partially ordered commutative algebra) is obtained for lattice polytopes (compact convex polytopes in Euclidean space whose vertices lie in Zd), and certain algebraic properties of the algebra are related to geometric properties of the polytope. There are also strong connections with convex analysis, Choquet theor