Star-triangle relation for a three-dimensional model

The solvablesl(n)-chiral Potts model can be interpreted as a three-dimensional lattice model with local interactions. To within a minor modification of the boundary conditions it is an Ising-type model on the body-centered cubic lattice with two- and three-spin interactions. The corresponding local Boltzmann weights obey a number of simple relations, including a restricted star-triangle relation, which is a modified version of the well-known star-triangle relation appearing in two-dimensional models. We show that these relations lead to remarkable symmetry properties of the Boltzmann weight function of an elementary cube of the lattice, related to the spatial symmetry group of the cubic lattice. These symmetry properties allow one to prove the commutativity of the row-to-row transfer matrices, bypassing the tetrahedron relation. The partition function per site for the infinite lattice is calculated exactly.On leave of absence from the Institute for High Energy Physics, Protvino, Moscow Region, 142284, Russia.