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Serge Tabachnikov

Publications and source records attributed to Serge Tabachnikov.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2022

On conformal points of area preserving maps and related topics

In this article we consider area preserving diffeomorphisms of planar domains, and we are interested in their conformal points, i.e., points at which the derivative is a similarity. We present some conditions that guarantee existence of conformal points for the infinitesimal problem of Hamiltonian vector fields as well as for what we call moderate symplectomorphisms of simply connected domains. We also link this problem to the Carathéodory and Loewner conjectures.

math.SG↗
arXiv2022

On projective evolutes of polygons

The evolute of a curve is the envelope of its normals. In this note we consider a projectively natural discrete analog of this construction: we define projective perpendicular bisectors of the sides of a polygon in the projective plane, and study the map that sends a polygon to the new polygon formed by the projective perpendicular bisectors of its sides. We consider this map acting on the moduli space of projective polygons. We analyze the case of pentagons; the moduli space is 2-dimensional in this case. The second iteration of the map has one integral whose level curves are cubic curves, and the transformation on these level curves is conjugated to the map $x\mapsto -4x$ mod 1. We also present the results of an experimental study in the case of hexagons.

math.DS↗
arXiv2021

On cusps of caustics by reflection: a billiard variation on Jacobi's Last Geometric Statement

A point source of light is placed inside an oval. The $n$-th caustic by reflection is the envelope of the light rays emanating from the light source after $n$ reflections off the curve. We show that each of these caustics, for a generic point light source, has at least 4 cusps. This is a billiard variation on Jacobi's Last Geometric Statement, concerning the number of cusps of the conjugate locus of a point on a convex surface. We present various proofs, using different ideas, including the curve shortening flow and Legendrian knot theory.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Remarks on rigidity properties of conics

Inspired by the recent results toward Birkhoff conjecture (a rigidity property of billiards in ellipses), we discuss two rigidity properties of conics. The first one concerns symmetries of an analog of polar duality associated with an oval, and the second concerns properties of the circle map associated with an oval and two pencils of lines.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Loewner's "forgotten" theorem

Let $f(t)$ be a smooth and periodic function of one real variable. Then the planar curves $t\mapsto \big(f'(t),f(t)\big)$ and $t\mapsto \big(f''(t)-f(t),f'(t)\big)$ both have non-negative rotation number around every point not on the curve. These are the two simplest cases of a beautiful Theorem by C. Loewner. This article is expository, we prove the two statements by elementary means following work by Bol [3]. After that, we present Loewner's Theorem and his proof from [7].

math.GT↗
arXiv2021

Variations on the Tait-Kneser theorem

The Tait-Kneser theorem, first demonstrated by Peter G. Tait in 1896, states that the osculating circles along a plane curve with monotone non-vanishing curvature are pairwise disjoint and nested. This note contains a proof of this theorem using the Lorentzian geometry of the space of circles. We show how a similar proof applies to two variations on the theorem, concerning the osculating Hooke and Kepler conics along a plane curve. We also prove a version of the 4-vertex theorem for Kepler conics.

math.DG↗
arXiv2021

Symplectically convex and symplectically star-shaped curves -- a variational problem

In this article we propose a generalization of the 2-dimensional notions of convexity resp. being star-shaped to symplectic vector spaces. We call such curves symplectically convex resp. symplectically star-shaped. After presenting some basic results we study a family of variational problems for symplectically convex and symplectically star-shaped curves which is motivated by the affine isoperimetric inequality. These variational problems can be reduced back to two dimensions. For a range of the family parameter extremal points of the variational problem are rigid: they are multiply traversed conics. For all family parameters we determine when non-trivial first and second order deformations of conics exist. In the last section we present some conjectures and questions and two galleries created with the help of a Mathematica applet by Gil Bor.

math.SG↗
arXiv2020

Remarks on Joachimsthal integral and Poritsky property

The billiard in an ellipse has an integral linear in momentum, the Joachimsthal integral. We show that the existence of such an integral characterizes conics. We extend this result to the spherical and hyperbolic geometries and to higher dimensions. We connect the existence of Joachimsthal integral with the Poritsky property, a property of billiard curves, called so after H. Poritsky whose important 1950 paper was one of the early studies of the billiard problem.

math.DG↗
arXiv2020

Dan Reznik's identities and more

Dan Reznik found, by computer experimentation, a number of conserved quantities associated with periodic billiard trajectories in ellipses. We prove some of his observations using a non-standard generating function for the billiard ball map. In this way, we also obtain some identities valid for all smooth convex billiard tables.

math.DG↗
arXiv2020

Counting Periodic Trajectories of Finsler Billiards

We provide lower bounds on the number of periodic Finsler billiard trajectories inside a quadratically convex smooth closed hypersurface $M$ in a $d$-dimensional Finsler space with possibly irreversible Finsler metric. An example of such a system is a billiard in a sufficiently weak magnetic field. The $r$-periodic Finsler billiard trajectories correspond to $r$-gons inscribed in $M$ and having extremal Finsler length. The cyclic group ${\mathbb Z}_r$ acts on these extremal polygons, and one counts the ${\mathbb Z}_r$-orbits. Using Morse and Lusternik-Schnirelmann theories, we prove that if $r\ge 3$ is prime, then the number of $r$-periodic Finsler billiard trajectories is not less than $(r-1)(d-2)+1$. We also give stronger lower bounds when $M$ is in general position. The problem of estimating the number of periodic billiard trajectories from below goes back to Birkhoff. Our work extends to the Finsler setting the results previously obtained for Euclidean billiards by Babenko, Farber, Tabachnikov, and Karasev.

math.DS↗
arXiv2020

Billiards in ellipses revisited

We prove some recent experimental observations of D. Reznik concerning periodic billiard orbits in ellipses. For example, the sum of cosines of the angles of a periodic billiard polygon remains constant in the one-parameter family of such polygons (that exist due to the Poncelet porism). In our proofs, we use geometric and complex analytic methods.

math.MG↗
arXiv2019

Polygonal symplectic billiards

In this article, we study polygonal symplectic billiards. We provide new results, some of which are inspired by numerical investigations. In particular, we present several polygons for which all orbits are periodic. We demonstrate their properties and derive various conjectures using two numerical implementations.

math.SG↗
arXiv2019

Fun Problems in Geometry and Beyond

We discuss fun problems, vaguely related to notions and theorems of a course in differential geometry. This paper can be regarded as a weekend "treasure chest" supplementing the course weekday lecture notes. The problems and solutions are not original, while their relation to the course might be so.

math.HO↗
arXiv2019

Four equivalent properties of integrable billiards

By a classical result of Darboux, a foliation of a Riemannian surface has the Graves property (also known as the strong evolution property) if and only if the foliation comes from a Liouville net. A similar result of Blaschke says that a pair of orthogonal foliations has the Ivory property if and only if they form a Liouville net. Let us say that a geodesically convex curve on a Riemannian surface has the Poritsky property if it can be parametrized in such a way that all of its string diffeomorphisms are shifts with respect to this parameter. In 1950, Poritsky has shown that the only closed plane curves with this property are ellipses. In the present article we show that a curve on a Riemannian surface has the Poritsky property if and only if it is a coordinate curve of a Liouville net. We also recall Blaschke's derivation of the Liouville property from the Ivory property and his proof of Weihnacht's theorem: the only Liouville nets in the plane are nets of confocal conics and their degenerations. This suggests the following generalization of Birkhoff's conjecture: If an interior neighborhood of a closed geodesically convex curve on a Riemannian surface is foliated by billiard caustics, then the metric in the neighborhood is Liouville, and the curve is one of the coordinate lines.

math.DS↗
arXiv2019

Two variations on the periscope theorem

A spherical periscope in multi-dimensional space is a system of two ideal mirrors that reflect the rays emanating from a fixed point to the rays coming back to the same point, and a reversed periscope is a system of two mirrors that reflect the rays having a fixed direction to the rays having the opposite direction. We describe the local diffeomorphisms of the wave fronts (spherical, in the former, and flat, in the latter cases), induced by these 2-mirror systems.

math.DG↗
arXiv2019

Wire billiards, the first steps

Wire billiard is defined by a smooth embedded closed curve of non-vanishing curvature $k$ in $\mathbb{R}^n$ (a wire). For a class of curves, that we call nice wires, the wire billiard map is area preserving twist map of the cylinder. In this paper we are investigating whether the basic features of conventional planar billiards extend to this more general situation. In particular, we extend Lazutkin's KAM result, as well as Mather's converse KAM result, to wire billiards. We address the notion of caustics: for wire billiards, it corresponds to striction curve of the ruled surface spanned by the chords of the invariant curve. If the ruled surface is developable this is a genuine caustic. We found remarkable examples of the wires which are closed orbits of 1-parameter subgroup of $SO(n)$. These wire billiards are totally integrable. Using the theory of interpolating Hamiltonians, we prove that the distribution of impact points of the wire becomes uniform with respect to the measure $k^{2/3} dx$ (where $x$ is the arc length parameter), as the length of the chords tends to zero. Applying this result, we prove that the billiard transformation in an ellipsoid commutes with the reparameterized geodesic flow on a confocal ellipsoid: the speed of the foot point of the line tangent to a geodesic equals $k^{-2/3}$, where $k$ is the curvature of the geodesic in the ambient space. We also discuss perspectives and open problems of this new class of billiards.

math.DS↗
arXiv2018

Cross-ratio dynamics on ideal polygons

Two ideal polygons, $(p_1,\ldots,p_n)$ and $(q_1,\ldots,q_n)$, in the hyperbolic plane or in hyperbolic space are said to be $α$-related if the cross-ratio $[p_i,p_{i+1},q_i,q_{i+1}] = α$ for all $i$ (the vertices lie on the projective line, real or complex, respectively). For example, if $α= -1$, the respective sides of the two polygons are orthogonal. This relation extends to twisted ideal polygons, that is, polygons with monodromy, and it descends to the moduli space of Möbius-equivalent polygons. We prove that this relation, which is, generically, a 2-2 map, is completely integrable in the sense of Liouville. We describe integrals and invariant Poisson structures, and show that these relations, with different values of the constants $α$, commute, in an appropriate sense. We investigate the case of small-gons, describe the exceptional ideal polygons, that possess infinitely many $α$-related polygons, and study the ideal polygons that are $α$-related to themselves (with a cyclic shift of the indices).

math.DS↗