We prove that for each positive integer n n , the Rips complexes of the n n -dimensional integer lattice in the d 1 d_1 metric (i.e., the Manhattan metric, also called the natural word metric in the Cayley graph) are contractible at scales above n 2 ( 2 n − 1 ) n^2(2n-1) , with the bounds arising from the Jung constants. We introduce a new concept of locally dominated vertices in a simplicial complex, upon which our proof strategy is based. This allows us to deduce the contractibility of the Rips complexes from a local geometric condition called local crushing. In the case of the integer lattices in dimension n n and a fixed scale r r , this condition entails the comparison of finitely many distances to conclude that the corresponding Rips complex is contractible. In particular, we are able to verify that for n = 1 , 2 , 3 n=1,2,3 , the Rips complex of the n n -dimensional integer lattice at scale greater or equal to n n is contractible. We conjecture that the same proof strategy can be used to extend this result to all dimensions n n .
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