Uniqueness conjecture for maximally circlable sets and circles

Call a nonnegative integer nn maximally circlable if there exists a largest circle enclosing exactly nn lattice points in its interior. Fix the key triangle with vertices (1/2,0)(1/2,0), (1/2,1/2)(1/2,1/2), and (1,0)(1,0), and let calMncalM_n be a largest such circle with center in the key triangle; call it an MC-circle of nn, and call the enclosed set of nn lattice points an MC-set of nn. Rigid motions of the lattice system are translations, reflections, and rotations preserving the lattice. Uniqueness conjecture. For any maximally circlable integer nn, both the configuration of the MC-set and the MC-circle of nn are unique up to rigid motions of the lattice system. The conjecture is based on overwhelming numerical evidence, but no resolution is supplied in the paper.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Jianqiang Zhao, “The Largest Circle Enclosing n Lattice Points”, arXiv:2505.06234 (2025).

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