On Disks Enclosed by Smooth Jordan Curves

Abstract

Given a smooth-plane Jordan curve with bounded absolute curvature κ>0, we determine equivalence classes of distinctive disks of radius 1/κ included in both plane regions separated by the curve. The bound on absolute curvature leads to a completely symmetric trajectory behaviour with respect to the curve turning. These lead to a decomposition of the plane into a finite number of maximal regions with respect to set inclusion leading to natural lower bounds for the length an area enclosed by the curve. We present a “half version” of the Pestov–Ionin theorem, and subsequently a generalisation of the classical Blaschke rolling disk theorem. An interesting consequence is that we describe geometric conditions relying exclusively on curvature and independent of any kind of convexity that allows us to give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of families of rolling disks for planar domains that are not necessarily convex. We expect this approach would lead to further generalisations as, for example, characterising volumetric objects in closed surfaces as first studied by Lagunov. Although this is a classical problem in differential geometry, recent developments in industrial manufacturing when cutting along some prescribed shapes on prescribed materials have revived the necessity of a deeper understanding on disks enclosed by sufficiently smooth Jordan curves.