A local contact systolic inequality in dimension three (Q2659446)

Summary: Let \(\alpha\) be a contact form on a connected closed three-manifold \(\Sigma\). The systolic ratio of \(\alpha\) is defined as \(\rho_{\operatorname{sys}} (\alpha) := \frac{1}{\operatorname{Vol} (\alpha)} T_{\min} (\alpha)^2\), where \(T_{\min} (\alpha)\) and \(\operatorname{Vol} (\alpha)\) denote the minimal period of periodic Reeb orbits and the contact volume. The form \(\alpha\) is said to be Zoll if its Reeb flow generates a free \(S^1\)-action on \(\Sigma\). We prove that the set of Zoll contact forms on \(\Sigma\) locally maximises the systolic ratio in the \(C^3\)-topology. More precisely, we show that every Zoll form \(\alpha_{\ast}\) admits a \(C^3\)-neighbourhood \(\mathcal U\) in the space of contact forms such that \(\rho_{\operatorname{sys}} (\alpha) \leq \rho_{\operatorname{sys}} (\alpha_{\ast})\) for every \(\alpha \in \mathcal U\), with equality if and only if \(\alpha\) is Zoll.