Lattice coverings and homogeneous covering congruences

Abstract

We consider the problem of covering $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with a finite number of sublattices of finite index, satisfying a simple minimality or non-degeneracy condition. We show how this problem may be viewed as a projective (or homogeneous) version of the well-known problem of covering systems of congruences. We give a construction of minimal coverings which produces many, but not all, minimal coverings, and determine all minimal coverings with at most $8$ sublattices.