Maximizing orbits for higher-dimensional convex billiards

DOI10.3934/JMD.2009.3.51zbMATH Open1190.37073arXiv0808.3208OpenAlexW2963756985MaRDI QIDQ2268262FDOQ2268262

Authors: Misha Bialy 

Publication date: 10 March 2010

Published in: Journal of Modern Dynamics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The main result of this paper is, that for convex billiards in higher dimensions, in contrast with 2D case, for every point on the boundary and for every $n$ there always exist billiard trajectories developing conjugate points at the $n$-th collision with the boundary. We shall explain that this is a consequence of the following variational property of the billiard orbits in higher dimension. If a segment of an orbit is locally maximizing, then it can not pass too close to the boundary. This fact follows from the second variation formula for the Length functional. It turns out that this formula behaves differently with respect to "longitudinal" and "transversal" variations.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0808.3208

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zbMATH Keywords

convex billiardsconjugate pointsvariational construction of orbits

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Completely integrable finite-dimensional Hamiltonian systems, integration methods, integrability tests (37J35)

Cited In (6)

• Gutkin billiard tables in higher dimensions and rigidity
• The 2-link periodic orbits which maximize or minimize the length of ap-dimensional Birkhoff billiard are hyperbolic
• Locally maximising orbits for the non-standard generating function of convex billiards and applications
• Hill’s formula for $g$-periodic trajectories of Lagrangian systems
• Billiard characterization of spheres
• Billiards in generic convex bodies have positive topological entropy

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