Critical loci of convex domains in the plane

Abstract

Let $K$ be a bounded convex domain in $\mathbb{R}^2$ symmetric about the origin. The critical locus of $K$ is defined to be the (non-empty compact) set of lattices $\Lambda$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$ of smallest possible covolume such that $\Lambda \cap K= \lbrace 0\rbrace$. These are classical objects in geometry of numbers; yet all previously known examples of critical loci were either finite sets or finite unions of closed curves. In this paper we give a new construction which, in particular, furnishes examples of domains having critical locus of arbitrary Hausdorff dimension between $0$ and $1$.