From symplectic measurements to the Mahler conjecture (Q742558)

Let \(K\subset {\mathbb R}^n\) be a centrally symmetric convex body and let \(K^\circ\) denote its polar. The classical and open Mahler conjecture is \[ V(K)\, V(K^\circ)\geq \frac{4^n}{n!} \] for all such \(K\), where \(V\) stands for \(n\)-dimensional volume. Thus the conjecture says that the minimum of the volume product on the left side is attained for hypercubes and their polars (and it is known that it is then attained for additional bodies, the so called Hanner polytopes). In this very interesting paper, the authors link an open conjecture for symplectic capacities to the Mahler conjecture. They show that if for convex bodies of fixed volume in the classical phase space the Hofer-Zehnder capacity is maximized by Euclidean balls, then hypercubes are minimizers for the volume product among centrally symmetric convex bodies. In the proof, the authors show that in a centrally symmetric and strictly convex body \(K\), the shortest (measured with respect to the norm \(\| \cdot\|_K\)) periodic \(K^\circ\)-billiard trajectory is 2-bouncing, where the bouncing rule of the trajectory of a \(T\)-billiard is determined by the geometry of \(T\). The length of such a trajectory was connected to the Hofer-Zehnder capacity by \textit{S. Artstein-Avidan} and \textit{Y. Ostrover} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2014, No. 1, 165--193 (2014; Zbl 1348.37059)].