On the finite blocking property

DOI10.5802/AIF.2124MaRDI QIDQ2485445zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Thierry Monteil

Publication date 4 August 2005

Published in Annales de l’institut Fourier (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/0406510, http://www.numdam.org/item?id=AIF_2005__55_4_1195_0, https://eudml.org/doc/116217

zbMATH Keywords

quadratic differentialstranslation surfacesilluminationblocking propertyregular polygonspolygonal billiardsVeech surfacestorus branched covering

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Dynamical systems involving one-parameter continuous families of measure-preserving transformations (37A10) Differentials on Riemann surfaces (30F30) Flows on surfaces (37E35) Real and complex geometry (51M99)

Abstract: A planar polygonal billiard $P$ is said to have the finite blocking property if for every pair $(O,A)$ of points in $P$ there exists a finite number of ``blocking points $B_1,\mathrm{...},B_n$ such that every billiard trajectory from $O$ to $A$ meets one of the $B_i$'s. Generalizing our construction of a counter-example to a theorem of Hiemer and Snurnikov (see cite{Mo}), we show that the only regular polygons that have the finite blocking property are the square, the equilateral triangle and the hexagon. Then we extend this result to translation surfaces. We prove that the only Veech surfaces with the finite blocking property are the torus branched coverings. We also provide a local sufficient condition for a translation surface to fail the finite blocking property. This enables us to give a complete classification for the L-shaped surfaces as well as to obtain a density result in the space of translation surfaces in every genus $ggeq2$.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3758599 (Why is no real title available?)
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1516426 (Why is no real title available?)
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• Finite blocking property versus pure periodicity
• Planar structures and billiards in rational polygons: the Veech alternative
• Polygonal Rooms Not Illuminable from Every Point
• Polygonal billiards with small obstacles
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Cited in

(12)

• Blocking: new examples and properties of products
• Blocking of billiard orbits and security for polygons and flat surfaces
• On blockers in continua
• Central points of the double heptagon translation surface are not connection points
• Everything is illuminated
• Algebraic intersection for a family of Veech surfaces
• Marked points on translation surfaces
• A dense \(G\)-delta set of Riemannian metrics without the finite blocking property
• Blocking light in compact Riemannian manifolds
• Finite blocking property versus pure periodicity
• Periodic points on the regular and double \(n\)-gon surfaces
• A characterization of completeness of blockability relations with respect to unanimity

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