On Cusps of Caustics by Reflection: Billiard Variations on the Four Vertex Theorem and on Jacobi’s Last Geometric Statement

DOI10.1080/00029890.2023.2179842MaRDI QIDQ6042558zbMATH OpenWikidataFDO

Authors Gil Bor, S. Tabachnikov

Publication date 11 May 2023

Published in The American Mathematical Monthly (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.07852

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Classical differential geometry (53Axx) Geometric optics (78A05)

Abstract: A point source of light is placed inside an oval. The $n$-th caustic by reflection is the envelope of the light rays emanating from the light source after $n$ reflections off the curve. We show that each of these caustics, for a generic point light source, has at least 4 cusps. This is a billiard variation on Jacobi's Last Geometric Statement, concerning the number of cusps of the conjugate locus of a point on a convex surface. We present various proofs, using different ideas, including the curve shortening flow and Legendrian knot theory.

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Cited in

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