Related papers: Poncelet Plectra: Harmonious Curves in Cosine Spac…
We explain how the usual algebras of Feynman diagrams behave under the grope degree introduced in "Grope cobordism of classical knots." We show that the Kontsevich integral rationally classifies grope cobordisms of knots in 3-space when the…
We investigate the following question: let $C$ be an integral curve contained in a smooth complex algebraic surface $X$; is it possible to deform $C$ in $X$ into a nodal curve while preserving its geometric genus? We affirmatively answer it…
We consider the integrable dynamics of a Kepler billiard in the plane bounded by a branch of a conic section focused at the Kepler center. We show that in this case, for non-zero-energy orbits, the lines of consecutive second orbital foci…
Poncelet's theorem states that if there exists an n-sided polygon which is inscribed in a given conic C and circumscribed about another conic D, then there are infinitely many such n-gons. Proofs of this theorem that we are aware of,…
Homology of braid groups and Artin groups can be related to the study of spaces of curves. We completely calculate the integral homology of the family of smooth curves of genus $g$ with one boundary component, that are double coverings of…
Via simulation, we discover and prove curious new Euclidean properties and invariants of the Poncelet family of harmonic polygons.
We prove that every local complete intersection curve in $Spec(A)$, where $A$ is a commutative Noetherian ring of dimension three, is a set-theoretic complete intersection. An analogous result is established for local complete intersection…
We describe various kaleidoscopic and self-similar aspects of the integral Apollonian gaskets - fractals consisting of close packing of circles with integer curvatures. Self-similar recursive structure of the whole gasket is shown to be…
The dynamic geometry of the family of 3-periodics in the Elliptic Billiard is mystifying. Besides conserving perimeter and the ratio of inradius-to-circumradius, it has a stationary point. Furthermore, its triangle centers sweep out…
We prove that for certain families of semi-algebraic convex bodies in 3 dimensions, the convex hull of $n$ disjoint bodies has $O(n\lambda_s(n))$ features, where $s$ is a constant depending on the family: $\lambda_s(n)$ is the maximum…
A caustic of a strictly convex planar bounded billiard is a smooth curve whose tangent lines are reflected from the billiard boundary to its tangent lines. The famous Birkhoff Conjecture states that if the billiard boundary has an inner…
We compute the Poincare polynomial and the cohomology algebra with rational coefficeints of the manifold M_n of real points of the moduli space of algebraic curves of genus 0 with n labeled points. This cohomology is a quadratic algebra,…
In this note we show the existence of a family of elliptic conic bundles in P^4 of degree 8. This family has been overlooked and in fact falsely ruled out in a series of classification papers. Our surfaces provide a counterexample to a…
Every complex plane curve C determines a subscheme S of the $P^8$ of 3x3 matrices, whose projective normal cone (PNC) captures subtle invariants of C. In "Limits of PGL(3)-translates of plane curves, I" we obtain a set-theoretic description…
A Circumconic passes through a triangle's vertices; an Inconic is tangent to the sidelines. We study the variable geometry of certain conics derived from the 1d family of 3-periodics in the Elliptic Billiard. Some display intriguing…
We study families of n-gonal curves with maximal variation of moduli, which have a rational section. Certain numerical results on the degree of the modular map are obtained for such families of hyperelliptic and trigonal curves. In the last…
Pilgrim's Finite Global Attractor Conjecture has been verified for polynomials [1], but remains open for general rational maps. In this paper, we prove the conjecture for a family of rational maps obtained by gluing two PCF polynomials…
We study the cone of non-negative polynomials on generalized elliptic curves. We show that the zero set of every extreme ray has dense real points. If a generalized elliptic curve is embedded via a complete linear system, then we show that…
The paper gives a review of very recent results related to the Poncelet Theorem, on the occasion of its bicentennial. We are telling the story of one of the most beautiful theorems of Geometry, recalling for the general mathematical…
An ordered pair of smooth conics satisfies the Poncelet triangle condition if there is a triangle inscribed in the first conic and circumscribed in the second conic. Over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$ with characteristic greater than $3$,…