Gaussian beams on Zoll manifolds and maximally degenerate Laplacians

Abstract

Gaussian beams exist along all closed geodesics of a Zoll surface, despite the fact that the algorithm for constructing them assumes that the closed geodesics are non-degenerate. Similarly, there exists a global Birkhoff normal for a Zoll Laplacian despite the degeneracy. We explain why both algorithms work in the Zoll case and give an exact formula for the sub-principal normal form invariant. In the case of "maximally degenerate" Zoll Laplacians, this invariant vanishes and we obtain new geometric constraints on such Zoll metrics.