Inverse Problems for the Return Map in the Class ( $\mathcal{O}_C$ ): Reconstruction and Identifiability

Abstract

We analyze the inverse problem of recovering geometric information from the return map induced by a round-trip between a convex core C and an admissible domain. This process defines a discrete dynamical system on the boundary of C governed by a thickness function d. We prove that the return map determines the gradient structure of d, including its critical points, Morse indices, and basin decomposition. At second order, the geometry is encoded indirectly through a curvature-dependent operator acting on the Hessian of d, revealing a coupling between thickness and curvature. This leads to intrinsic non-uniqueness in the inverse problem, due to scaling and dynamical equivalences. However, uniqueness (up to these ambiguities) can be recovered under additional geometric constraints such as symmetry or isotropy.