Two-dimensional geodesic flows having first integrals of higher degree (Q5947141)

The author constructs explicitly for every \(k\geq 3\) an infinite-dimensional family \({\mathcal M}_k\) of smooth metrics on the two-sphere with the following remarkable properties: 1. The geodesic flow of each of the metrics \(g\in {\mathcal M}_k\) has a first integral \(F\) whose restriction to each fibre of the tangent bundle is a homogeneous polynomial of degree \(k\) which vanishes at 4 points \(p_1,p_2,p_3,p_4\). 2. The points \(p_i\) lie on a closed geodesic \(c\) of \(g\) and the curvature of \(g\) is constant 1 near \(p_i\), in particular the metric \(g\) is not real analytic. 3. \(g\) admits an isometric involution which fixes the geodesic \(c\). 4. \(g\) is neither a Leonville-metric nor the metric of a surface of revolution. 5. Each geodesic of \(g\) is closed of length \(2\pi\). The metrics are obtained as perturbations of the standard metric \(g_0\) of constant curvature with the help of two suitably chosen Killing fields \(Y_1,Y_2\) of \(g_0\) and a clever double-covering construction outside the zeros of \(Y_1\) and \(Y_2\).