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In this paper we give a short, elementary proof of a known result in tropical mathematics, by which the convexity of the column span of a zero-diagonal real matrix $A$ is characterized by $A$ being a Kleene star. We give applications to alcoved polytopes, using normal idempotent matrices (which form a subclass of Kleene stars). For a normal matrix we define a norm and show that this is the radius of a hyperplane section of its tropical span.

Let $p^{\text{'}}$ and $q^{\text{'}}$ be points in ${ℝ}^n$. Write $p^{\text{'}}\sim q^{\text{'}}$ if $p^{\text{'}}-q^{\text{'}}$ is a multiple of $(1,...,1)$. Two different points $p$ and $q$ in ${ℝ}^n/\sim$ uniquely determine a tropical line $L(p,q)$ passing through them and stable under small perturbations. This line is a balanced unrooted semi-labeled tree on $n$ leaves. It is also a metric graph. If some representatives $p^{\text{'}}$ and $q^{\text{'}}$ of $p$ and $q$ are the first and second columns of some real normal idempotent order $n$ matrix $A$, we prove that the tree $L(p,q)$ is described by a matrix $F$, easily obtained from $A$. We also prove that...

Through tropical normal idempotent matrices, we introduce isocanted alcoved polytopes, computing their $f$-vectors and checking the validity of the following five conjectures: Bárány, unimodality, $3^d$, flag and cubical lower bound (CLBC). Isocanted alcoved polytopes are centrally symmetric, almost simple cubical polytopes. They are zonotopes. We show that, for each dimension, there is a unique combinatorial type. In dimension $d$, an isocanted alcoved polytope has $2^{d+1}-2$ vertices, its face lattice is the lattice...