Exploring the entropic region

Abstract

The paper explores three known methods, their variants and limitations, that can be used to obtain new entropy inequalities. The Copy Lemma was distilled from the original Zhang-Yeung construction which produced the first non-Shannon inequality. Its iterated version, effects of symmetrizations, and connections with polyhedral vertex enumeration are discussed. Another method, derived from the principle of maximum entropy, has the Copy Lemma as a special case. Nevertheless, none of the two presented variants is known to generate more inequalities than the iterated Copy Lemma. Finally, the Ahlswede-K\"orner method is shown to employ a hidden application of the Copy Lemma - the underlying lemma alone cannot generate new inequalities -, which makes this method strictly weaker than the Copy Lemma. The paper is written in a tutorial style and concludes with a list of open questions and research problems.