English

Billiard tables with rotational symmetry

Dynamical Systems 2022-03-30 v2

Abstract

We generalize the following simple geometric fact: the only centrally symmetric convex curve of constant width is a circle. Billiard interpretation of the condition of constant width reads: a planar curve has constant width, if and only if, the Birkhoff billiard map inside the planar curve has a rotational invariant curve of 22-periodic orbits. We generalize this statement to curves that are invariant under a rotation by angle 2πk\frac{2\pi}{k}, for which the billiard map has a rotational invariant curve of kk-periodic orbits. Similar result holds true also for Outer billiards and Symplectic billiards. Finally, we consider Minkowski billiards inside a unit disc of Minkowski (not necessarily symmetric) norm which is invariant under a linear map of order k3k\ge 3. We find a criterion for the existence of an invariant curve of kk-periodic orbits. As an application, we get rigidity results for all those billiards.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2106.06956,
  title  = {Billiard tables with rotational symmetry},
  author = {Misha Bialy and Daniel Tsodikovich},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.06956},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

33 pages, 8 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-24T03:08:35.208Z