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Conway found a closed billiard-ball trajectory in a regular tetrahedron:

Image: Izidor Hafner

Since then Bedaride and Rao

Bedaride, Nicolas, and Michael Rao. "Regular simplices and periodic billiard orbits." Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 142, no. 10 (2014): 3511-3519. JSTOR link.

proved this:

Theorem. In a regular simplex $\Delta^n \subset \mathbb{R}^n$ there exists at least two periodic orbits:

  • One has period $n + 1$ and hits each face once.
  • The other has period $2n$ and hits one face $n$ times and hits each other face once.

For $n=3$, Conway's path accounts for the first length-$4$ periodic path. I haven't yet figured out explicit coordinates for their second length-$6$ path. I'd be interested if anyone has drawn this $6$-path. In any case, my question is:

Q. Is there a complete inventory of periodic billiard paths in a regular tetrahedron?

Is it even known that there are only a finite number of such paths?

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    $\begingroup$ I have no idea. Out of curiosity: Is the group generated by the reflections over the walls of a regular tetrahedron the free Coxeter group on 4 generators? $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 6 at 13:48
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    $\begingroup$ Another related question (or family): if you take as your tetrahedron the alternating vertices of a unit cube, then any billiard path that starts with two rational points on different faces of the tetrahedron will only bounce at rational points. Then you can ask about realizability of periodic paths as rational ones, etc... $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 6 at 15:52
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks, but that's a different question. That's the reflection group for the hyperbolic tetrahedron all of whose dihedral angles are $\pi/3$, not the Euclidean tetrahedron whose angles are $\approx 0.39 \pi$. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 6 at 18:41
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    $\begingroup$ I believe that I have found a proof that it is the free Coxeter group. I'll write it up here. Take our tetrahedron to be the convex hull in $\mathbb{R}^4$ of the standard basis vectors $e_1$, $e_2$, $e_3$, $e_4$. Let $s_i$ be the reflection over the hyperplane that omits $e_i$. Then $s_i(e_j) = e_j$ if $i \neq j$ and $s_i(e_i) = -e_i + (2/3) \sum_{j \neq i} e_j$. We use these formulas to give a $4$-dimensional linear representation of our group. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 6 at 20:34
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    $\begingroup$ I believe I have found coordinates for the path which bounces off the faces in the order $(1,2,1,3,1,4)$. Start at the point $(11/210, 239/630, 59/126, 1/10)$ and travel in direction $(-1/3, -7/9, 1/9, 1)$. (Again, I am thinking of the tetrahedron as the convex hull of the standard basis vectors in $\mathbb{R}^4$.) In general, there is a linear algebra aspect to this problem, which reduces to taking products of the matrices above and searching for cases where the eigenvalue $1$ has multiplicity $\geq 2$. I'll write this up when I get a chance. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 6 at 21:40

1 Answer 1

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$\newcommand\ZZ{\mathbb{Z}}\newcommand\RR{\mathbb{R}}$I'll explain how this computation should be done, and I'll show that there is at least one more closed path, with reflection sequence $(1,2,3,1,2,4)$. I'll leave systematic search to those with better coding skills than I have.


Let $T$ be the tetrahedron, let $e_i$ be its vertices, let $F_i$ be the face of $T$ opposite $e_i$, and let $H_i$ be the affine $2$-plane containing $F_i$. Given a sequence $(i_1, i_2, \ldots, i_m)$, we want to figure out whether there is a closed billiard path $\gamma$ which bounces off the walls in order $(F_{i_1}, F_{i_2}, \dots, F_{i_m})$. If such a path $\gamma$ exists, I'll describe how to find it.

We extend $(i_1, i_2, \ldots, i_m)$ to a doubly infinite sequence, periodic modulo $m$. Let $x_k$ be the point where $\gamma$ hits the face $F_{i_k}$, let $\gamma_k$ be the line segment from $x_k$ to $x_{k+1}$, let $L_k$ be the affine line spanned by $\gamma_k$ and let $v_k$ be a vector in the direction of $\gamma_k$. So $L_k = x_k + \RR v_k$ and $x_{k+1} = v_k + t_k x_k$ for some $t_k \in \RR$.

Let $s_i$ be the reflection over the wall $F_i$, so $s_i$ is a Euclidean, affine linear, transformation of $\RR^3$. So we have $s_k x_k = x_k$ and $s_k v_{k-1} = v_k$. If we have candidate values of $x_0$ and $v_0$, then we can trace the rest of the path as follows: Given $(x_k, v_k)$, compute $t_k$ such that $x_{k} + t_{k} v_{k}$ lies in $H_{i_{k+1}}$, then $x_{k+1} = x_{k} + t_{k} v_{k}$. Meanwhile, $v_{k+1} = s_{i_{k+1}} v_k$. The thing that can go wrong is that the point $x_{k+1}$ might lie in the $2$-plane $H_{i_{k+1}}$, but not in the triangle $F_{i_{k+1}}$ itself. So, as we go, we need to check that each $x_k$ that we compute has nonnegative coordinates.

We can use linear algebra to find out where $x_1$ and $v_0$ should be. Put $w = s_{i_m} \cdots s_{i_2} s_{i_1}$, so $w$ is a Euclidean transformation. If $m$ is even, then $w$ is probably a screw displacement; more on this later.

We must have $v_m = s_{i_m} s_{i_{m-1}} \cdots s_{i_1} v_0 = w v_0$ but, by periodicity, $v_0 = v_m$. Similarly, $L_0 = L_m = w L_0$. So, if $w$ is a screw displacement, then $v_0$ must point in the direction of the axis of $w$, and $L_0$ must be the axis of $w$. The point $x_1$ can be found as $L_0 \cap F_{i_1}$.

In order to find $v_0$ and $L_0$, it is convenient to embed the tetrahedron $T$ into $\RR^4$, putting the vertices $e_i$ at the standard basis vectors. So $T$ lies in the affine plane $\langle \delta,\ \rangle = 1$, where $\delta = e_1 + e_2 + e_3 + e_4$. Each affine linear transformation of $\langle \delta,\ \rangle = 1$ extends to a unique linear transformation of $\RR^4$.

Specifically, the reflection $s_4$ fixes $e_1$, $e_2$, $e_3$ and maps $e_4$ to $\tfrac{2}{3} e_1 + \tfrac{2}{3} e_2 + \tfrac{2}{3} e_3 - e_4 = \tfrac{2}{3} \delta - \tfrac{5}{3} e_4$. So $s_4$ is represented by the matrix $1 + (\tfrac{2}{3} \delta - \tfrac{8}{3} e_4) e_4^T$ and, similar, $s_i = 1 + (\tfrac{2}{3} \delta - \tfrac{8}{3} e_4) e_4^T$.

So $w = s_{i_m} s_{i_{m-1}} \cdots s_{i_1}$ is some $4 \times 4$ matrix. Then $v_0$ is an $1$-eigenvector of $w$ (which lies in $\delta^{\perp}$) and the $2$-plane spanned by $L_0$ is the generalized $1$-eigenspace of $w$. To get the point $x_0$, we intersect $L_0$ with the affine $2$ plane where $\langle \delta, \ \rangle = 1$ and where the $i_0$-th coordinate is $0$.

As an example, take the sequence $(1,2,3,1,2,4)$. I compute that $$w = s_4 s_2 s_1 s_3 s_2 s_1 = \frac{1}{729} \begin{bmatrix} 985 & 240 & 954 & 486 \\ 880 & 825 & 90 & 486 \\ 400 & 1104 & 1035 & 486 \\ -1536 & -1440 & -1350 & -729 \\ \end{bmatrix} . $$ I compute that the $1$-eigenspace of $w$ is spanned by $$v_0 := (-3/6, -1/6, -2/6, 6/6)^T.$$ Note that $\delta \cdot v_0 = 0$, as we'd expect. I compute that the $1$-eigenspace of $w$ is spanned by $v_0$ and $(9/50, 9/50, 32/50, 0)^T$. I've normalized the second point to have $\langle \delta, \ \rangle = 1$ and to have $4$-th coordinate equal to $0$, so it lies in $H_{i_0} = H_4$. As it turns out, the other coordinates are nonnegative, so this point actually lies in the triangle $F_4$, and it is the point $x_0$.

We now compute $t_0$ such that $x_0 + t_0 v_0$ has $i_1$-th coordinate equal to $1$: We get $t_0 = 9/25$ and $x_1 = (0, 3/25, 13/25, 9/25)^T.$ Then $v_1 = s_1 v_0 = (3/6, -3/6, -4/6, 4/6)^T$. Continuing in this manner: $$(t_0, t_1, t_2, t_3, t_4, t_5) = (9/25,6/25,9/25,9/25,6/25,9/25)$$ and we have, $x_2=(3/25, 0, 9/25, 13/25)^T$, $x_3 = (9/50, 9/50, 0, 32/50)^T$, $x_4 = (0, 3/25, 9/25, 13/25)^T$, $x_5 = (3/25, 0, 13/25, 9/25)^T$ and $x_6 = x_0 = (9/50, 9/50, 32/50, 0)^T$. All the $x_i$ coordinates are nonnegative so we have found a closed path.


Some theoretical observations about the transformation $w$. Euclidean transformations of $\RR^3$ fall into eight classes: The orientation preserving ones (which occur for $m$ even) are the identity, rotation, translation and screw displacement. The orientation reversing ones (which occur for $m$ odd) are reflection, glide reflection, improper rotation and inversion in a point.

Assume that $i_j \neq i_{j+1}$ for all $j$ (including that $i_m \neq i_1$), as would be the case for any true reflection path, and assume that $m \geq 2$. Then I claim that $w$ cannot be the identity, a translation, a reflection, a glide reflection, or inversion in a point.

Consider the integer matrix $W:=3^m w = \prod_{j=m}^1 (3 + (2 \delta - 8 e_{i_j}) e_{i_j}^T)$. So $W \equiv \prod_{j=m}^1 ((e_{i_j}-\delta) e_{i_j}^T) \bmod 3$. Writing this out, it is $(e_{i_m} - \delta) e_{i_m}^T \cdots (e_{i_2} - \delta) e_{i_2}^T (e_{i_1} - \delta) e_{i_1}^T$. Now, since $i_j \neq i_{j+1}$, we have $e_{i_{j+1}}^T (e_{i_j} - \delta) = (-1)$, $$W \equiv (-1)^{m-1} (e_{i_m} - \delta) e_{i_1}^T \bmod 3$$ and thus $\text{Tr}(W) \equiv (-1)^m \bmod 3$ (using that $i_1 \neq i_m$). So the trace of $W$ is an integer not divisible by $3$, and thus the trace of $w$ is not an integer. This rules out the identity, a translation, a reflection, a glide reflection, or inversion, whose traces are $4$, $4$, $2$, $2$, $-2$ respectively. (We also rule out rotations and glide rotations with angle $180^{\circ}$, whose trace is $0$.)

In particular, this means that there are no closed paths of odd length, since $w$ must be an improper rotation in that case, and those do not have a line which is mapped to itself by translation.

When $m$ is even, our options are a rotation or a screw displacement. We can distinguish them according to the Jordan forms of $w$ on the generalized $1$-eigenspace: A rotation corresponds to $\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} 1&0 \\ 0&1 \end{smallmatrix} \right]$ and a screw displacement corresponds to $\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} 1&1 \\ 0&1 \end{smallmatrix} \right]$. There doesn't seem to be any simple characterization of when we get which one, although screw displacements appear to be more common. The screw displacement has a line which is mapped to itself by translation; the rotation doesn't.


One final observation: The dihedral angles of the tetrahedron are $\cos^{-1} (1/3) \approx 0.39 \pi > \pi/3$. So no closed path can contain a sequence of four bounces that only hit two walls. Combined with the fact that we should never use the same wall twice in a row, we should be able to cut down the search space to something tractable.
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  • $\begingroup$ This is a wonderful answer, and I'm sorely tempted to try and go do some exploring (though I have so many projects on my plate right now that coding this up is likely to fall by the wayside). One note on the tractable search space, though — it certainly seems to me that there should be infinitely many paths satisfying those constraints, since e.g. after any 121 sequence of walls we still have both 3 or 4 as valid options to continue the sequence. Whether all of these are realizable is of course a different matter, but I don't see any a priori reasons why one wouldn't be. $\endgroup$ Commented Aug 13 at 0:36

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