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arXiv · 2605.05506

Closed polylines with fixed self-intersection index

Dmitri Fomin
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Abstract

We investigate the existence of closed polylines (also known as closed polygonal chains or self-crossing polygons) that intersect each of their edges the same number of times. The most general question in this corner of combinatorial geometry asks for all pairs $(n, k)$ such that there exists a closed polyline with $n$ edges, each intersecting the same polyline exactly $k$ times. For $k = 1$ and $k = 2$, this is a very simple question answered several decades ago. In this article, we present a complete solution for $k = 3, 4, 6$, as well as the proof of some non-existence theorems. In conclusion, we show that, for an arbitrary positive integer $k$, a polyline of the required type exists for any sufficiently large integer $n$ such that $nk$ is even.

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Dmitri Fomin. 2026-05-06. Closed polylines with fixed self-intersection index. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.05506

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