Bor–Tabachnikov conjecture on cusps of elliptical billiard caustics

Let γR2\gamma\subset\mathbb{R}^2 be an ellipse, let OO be a light source inside γ\gamma and different from a focus, and for each n1n\geq 1 let Γn\Gamma_n be the envelope of rays from OO that have undergone nn reflections in γ\gamma. Bor–Tabachnikov conjecture. For every n1n\geq 1, the caustic by reflection Γn\Gamma_n has exactly four ordinary cusps. The conjecture is the billiard analogue of Jacobi's conjecture on cusps of caustics from points on ellipsoids. It is known that the caustics have at least four ordinary cusps for general ovals and that Γ1\Gamma_1 has exactly four ordinary cusps, while the assertion for all n1n\geq 1 remains open.

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Primary source

Aleksandra Uskova, “On the First Caustic of Elliptical Billiards”, arXiv:2606.04132 (2026).

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