On Dirichlet, Poncelet and Abel problems

Abstract

We propose interconnections between some problems of PDE, geometry, algebra, calculus and physics. Uniqueness of a solution of the Dirichlet problem and of some other boundary value problems for the string equation inside an arbitrary biquadratic algebraic curve is considered. It is shown that a solution is non-unique if and only if a corresponding Poncelet problem for two conics has a periodic trajectory. A set of problems is proven to be equivalent to the above problem. Among them are the solvability problem of the algebraic Pell-Abel equation and the indeterminacy problem of a new moment problem that generalizes the well-known trigonometrical moment problem. Solvability criteria of the above-mentioned problems can be represented in form $\theta\in\Bbb Q$ where number $\theta=m/n$ is built by means of data for a problem to solve. We also demonstrate close relations of the above-mentioned problems to such problems of modern mathematical physics as elliptic solutions of the Toda chain, static solutions of the classical Heisenberg $XY$-chain and biorthogonal rational functions on elliptic grids in the theory of the Pad\'e interpolation.