On a generalization of the Cartwright-Littlewood fixed point theorem for planar homeomorphisms

Abstract

We prove a generalization of the fixed point theorem of Cartwright and Littlewood. Namely, suppose $h : \mathbb{R}^2 \to\mathbb{R}^2$ is an orientation preserving planar homeomorphism, and let $C$ be a continuum such that $h^{-1}(C)\cup C$ is acyclic. If there is a $c\in C$ such that $\{h^{-i}(c):i\in\mathbb{N}\}\subseteq C$, or $\{h^i(c):i\in\mathbb{N}\}\subseteq C$, then $C$ also contains a fixed point of $h$. Our approach is based on Morton Brown's short proof of the result of Cartwright and Littlewood. In addition, making use of a linked periodic orbits theorem of Bonino we also prove a counterpart of the aforementioned result for orientation reversing homeomorphisms, that guarantees a $2$-periodic orbit in $C$ if it contains a $k$-periodic orbit ($k>1$).