Refinements of Franks' theorem and applications in Reeb dynamics

Abstract

In this article, we give two refinements of Franks' theorem: For orientation and area preserving homeomorphisms of the closed or open annulus, the existence of $k$-periodic orbits ($(k,n_0)=1$) forces the existence of infinitely many periodic orbits with periods prime to $n_0$. Moreover, if $f$ is reversible, the periodic orbits above could be symmetric. Our improvements of Franks' theorem can be applied to Reeb dynamics and celestial mechanics, for example, we give some precise information about the symmetries of periodic orbits found in Hofer, Wysocki and Zehnder's dichotomy theorem when the tight 3-sphere is equipped with some additional symmetries, and also the symmetries of periodic orbits on the energy level of H$\acute{e}$non-Heiles system in celestial mechanics.