Abstract
This paper originated with the observation that while all of the known stable lattice packings of spheres are highly symmetric, it is futile to try to prove a converse statement: the ordinary integer-lattice provides a distinctly unstable packing of spheres, but admits a large group of orthogonal symmetries nonetheless. The integerlattice is in fact very unstable—the slightest perturbation places the spheres in a more efficient configuration. We will call such a lattice fragile. The purpose of this note is to prove that a highly symmetric lattice must be either stable or fragile .
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