Non-central sections of convex bodies

Abstract

We study the following open problem, suggested by Barker and Larman. Let $K$ and $L$ be convex bodies in $\mathbb R^n$ ($n\ge 2$) that contain a Euclidean ball $B$ in their interiors. If $\mathrm{vol}_{n-1}(K\cap H) = \mathrm{vol}_{n-1}(L\cap H)$ for every hyperplane $H$ that supports $B$, does it follow that $K=L$? We discuss various modifications of this problem. In particular, we show that in $\mathbb R^2$ the answer is positive if the above condition is true for two disks, none of which is contained in the other. We also study some higher dimensional analogues.