We study sets of measure-preserving transformations on Lebesgue spaces with continuous measures taking into account extreme scales of variations of weak mixing. It is shown that the generic dynamical behaviour depends on subsequences of time going to infinity. We also present corresponding generic sets of (probability) invariant measures with respect to topological shifts over finite alphabets and Axiom A diffeomorphisms over topologically mixing basic sets.

We show in prime dimension that for two non-commuting totally irreducible toral automorphisms the set of points that equidistribute under the first map but have non-dense orbit under the second has full Hausdorff dimension. In non-prime dimension the argument fails only if the automorphisms have strong algebraic relations.

We show that dynamical systems with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}$-mixing measures have local escape rates which are exponential with rate 1 at non-periodic points and equal to the extremal index at periodic points. We apply this result to equilibrium states on subshifts of finite type, Gibbs–Markov systems, expanding interval maps, Gibbs states on conformal repellers, and more generally to Young towers, and by extension to all systems that can be modeled by a Young tower.

We consider a class of dynamical systems generated by finite sets of Möbius transformations acting on the unit disc. Compositions of such Möbius transformations give rise to sequences of transformations that are used in the theory of continued fractions. In that theory, the distinction between sequences of limit-point type and sequences of limit-disc type is of central importance. We prove that sequences of limit-disc type only arise in exceptional circumstances, and we give necessary and sufficient conditions for a sequence to be of limit-disc type. We also calculate the Hausdorff dimension of the set of sequences of limit-disc type in some significant cases. Finally, we obtain strong and complete results on the convergence of these dynamical systems.

In this paper we give an answer to Furstenberg’s problem on topological disjointness. Namely, we show that a transitive system $(X,T)$ is disjoint from all minimal systems if and only if $(X,T)$ is weakly mixing and there is some countable dense subset $D$ of $X$ such that for any minimal system $(Y,S)$, any point $y\in Y$ and any open neighbourhood $V$ of $y$, and for any non-empty open subset $U\subset X$, there is $x\in D\cap U$ such that $\{n\in \mathbb{Z}_{+}:T^{n}x\in U,S^{n}y\in V\}$ is syndetic. Some characterization for the general case is also given. By way of application we show that if a transitive system $(X,T)$ is disjoint from all minimal systems, then so are $(X^{n},T^{(n)})$ and $(X,T^{n})$ for any $n\in \mathbb{N}$. It turns out that a transitive system $(X,T)$ is disjoint from all minimal systems if and only if the hyperspace system $(K(X),T_{K})$ is disjoint from all minimal systems.

We study the ergodic properties of a class of measures on $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F4}^{\mathbb{Z}}$ for which $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{{\mathcal{A}},t}[x_{0}\cdots x_{n-1}]\approx e^{-nP}\Vert A_{x_{0}}\cdots A_{x_{n-1}}\Vert ^{t}$, where ${\mathcal{A}}=(A_{0},\ldots ,A_{M-1})$ is a collection of matrices. The measure $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{{\mathcal{A}},t}$ is called a matrix Gibbs state. In particular, we give a sufficient condition for a matrix Gibbs state to have the weak Bernoulli property. We employ a number of techniques to understand these measures, including a novel approach based on Perron–Frobenius theory. We find that when $t$ is an even integer the ergodic properties of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{{\mathcal{A}},t}$ are readily deduced from finite-dimensional Perron–Frobenius theory. We then consider an extension of this method to $t>0$ using operators on an infinite- dimensional space. Finally, we use a general result of Bradley to prove the main theorem.

Suppose that $f$ is a transcendental entire function. In 2011, Rippon and Stallard showed that the union of the escaping set with infinity is always connected. In this paper we consider the related question of whether the union with infinity of the bounded orbit set, or the bungee set, can also be connected. We give sufficient conditions for these sets to be connected and an example of a transcendental entire function for which all three sets are simultaneously connected. This function lies, in fact, in the Speiser class.

It is known that for many transcendental entire functions the escaping set has a topological structure known as a spider’s web. We use our results to give a large class of functions in the Eremenko–Lyubich class for which the escaping set is not a spider’s web. Finally, we give a novel topological criterion for certain sets to be a spider’s web.

For a class of competitive maps there is an invariant one-codimensional manifold (the carrying simplex) attracting all non-trivial orbits. In this paper it is shown that its convexity implies that it is a $C^{1}$ submanifold-with-corners, neatly embedded in the non-negative orthant. The proof uses the characterization of neat embedding in terms of inequalities between Lyapunov exponents for ergodic invariant measures supported on the boundary of the carrying simplex.

We prove the stable ergodicity of an example of a volume-preserving, partially hyperbolic diffeomorphism introduced by Berger and Carrasco in [Berger and Carrasco. Non-uniformly hyperbolic diffeomorphisms derived from the standard map. Comm. Math. Phys.329 (2014), 239–262]. This example is robustly non-uniformly hyperbolic, with a two-dimensional center; almost every point has both positive and negative Lyapunov exponents along the center direction and does not admit a dominated splitting of the center direction. The main novelty of our proof is that we do not use accessibility.

Under certain assumptions on CAT(0) spaces, we show that the geodesic flow is topologically mixing. In particular, the Bowen–Margulis’ measure finiteness assumption used by Ricks [Flat strips, Bowen–Margulis measures, and mixing of the geodesic flow for rank one CAT(0) spaces. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys. 37 (2017), 939–970] is removed. We also construct examples of CAT(0) spaces that do not admit finite Bowen–Margulis measure.

The results of Bergelson, Host and Kra, and Leibman state that a multiple polynomial correlation sequence can be decomposed into a sum of a nilsequence (a sequence defined by evaluating a continuous function along an orbit in a nilsystem) and a null sequence (a sequence that goes to zero in density). We refine their results by proving that the null sequence goes to zero in density along polynomials evaluated at primes and along the Hardy sequence $(\lfloor n^{c}\rfloor )$. In contrast, given a rigid sequence, we construct an example of a correlation whose null sequence does not go to zero in density along that rigid sequence. As a corollary of a lemma in the proof, the formula for the pointwise ergodic average along polynomials of primes in a nilsystem is also obtained.

$\mathbb{Z}^{d}$-extensions of probability-preserving dynamical systems are themselves dynamical systems preserving an infinite measure, and generalize random walks. Using the method of moments, we prove a generalized central limit theorem for additive functionals of the extension of integral zero, under spectral assumptions. As a corollary, we get the fact that Green–Kubo’s formula is invariant under induction. This allows us to relate the hitting probability of sites with the symmetrized potential kernel, giving an alternative proof and generalizing a theorem of Spitzer. Finally, this relation is used to improve, in turn, the assumptions of the generalized central limit theorem. Applications to Lorentz gases in finite horizon and to the geodesic flow on Abelian covers of compact manifolds of negative curvature are discussed.

Let be a dominant rational self-map of a smooth projective variety defined over $\overline{\mathbb{Q}}$. For each point $P\in X(\overline{\mathbb{Q}})$ whose forward $f$-orbit is well defined, Silverman introduced the arithmetic degree $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$, which measures the growth rate of the heights of the points $f^{n}(P)$. Kawaguchi and Silverman conjectured that $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$ is well defined and that, as $P$ varies, the set of values obtained by $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{f}(P)$ is finite. Based on constructions by Bedford and Kim and by McMullen, we give a counterexample to this conjecture when $X=\mathbb{P}^{4}$.

Let $(X,\mathfrak{B},\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$ be a Borel probability space. Let $T_{n}:X\rightarrow X$ be a sequence of continuous transformations on $X$. Let $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ be a probability measure on $X$ such that $(1/N)\sum _{n=1}^{N}(T_{n})_{\ast }\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}\rightarrow \unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$ in the weak-$\ast$ topology. Under general conditions, we show that for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ almost every $x\in X$, the measures $(1/N)\sum _{n=1}^{N}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}_{T_{n}x}$ become equidistributed towards $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$ if $N$ is restricted to a set of full upper density. We present applications of these results to translates of closed orbits of Lie groups on homogeneous spaces. As a corollary, we prove equidistribution of exponentially sparse orbits of the horocycle flow on quotients of $\text{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})$, starting from every point in almost every direction.

We show if $K$ is a self-similar $1$-set that either satisfies the strong separation condition or is defined via homotheties then there are at most finitely many lines through the origin such that the projection of $K$ onto them is an interval.

We show that every uniformly recurrent subgroup of a locally compact group is the family of stabilizers of a minimal action on a compact space. More generally, every closed invariant subset of the Chabauty space is the family of stabilizers of an action on a compact space on which the stabilizer map is continuous everywhere. This answers a question of Glasner and Weiss. We also introduce the notion of a universal minimal flow relative to a uniformly recurrent subgroup and prove its existence and uniqueness.

We study convergence of return- and hitting-time distributions of small sets $E_{k}$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}(E_{k})\rightarrow 0$ in recurrent ergodic dynamical systems preserving an infinite measure $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}$. Some properties which are easy in finite measure situations break down in this null-recurrent set-up. However, in the presence of a uniform set $Y$ with wandering rate regularly varying of index $1-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}\in (0,1]$, there is a scaling function suitable for all subsets of $Y$. In this case, we show that return distributions for the $E_{k}$ converge if and only if the corresponding hitting-time distributions do, and we derive an explicit relation between the two limit laws. Some consequences of this result are discussed. In particular, this leads to improved sufficient conditions for convergence to ${\mathcal{E}}^{1/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}{\mathcal{G}}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}$, where ${\mathcal{E}}$ and ${\mathcal{G}}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}$ are independent random variables, with ${\mathcal{E}}$ exponentially distributed and ${\mathcal{G}}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}}$ following the one-sided stable law of order $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ (and ${\mathcal{G}}_{1}:=1$). The same principle also reveals the limit laws (different from the above) which occur at hyperbolic periodic points of prototypical null-recurrent interval maps. We also derive similar results for the barely recurrent $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0$ case.

We construct entropy increasing monotone factors in the context of a Bernoulli shift over the free group of rank at least two.

We develop a variational method for constructing positive entropy invariant measures of Lagrangian systems without assuming transversal intersections of stable and unstable manifolds, and without restrictions to the size of non-integrable perturbations. We apply it to a family of $2\frac{1}{2}$ degrees of freedom a priori unstable Lagrangians, and show that if we assume that there is no topological obstruction to diffusion (precisely formulated in terms of topological non-degeneracy of minima of the Peierls barrier), then there exists a vast family of ‘horseshoes’, such as ‘shadowing’ ergodic positive entropy measures having precisely any closed set of invariant tori in its support. Furthermore, we give bounds on the topological entropy and the ‘drift acceleration’ in any part of a region of instability in terms of a certain extremal value of the Fréchet derivative of the action functional, generalizing the angle of splitting of separatrices. The method of construction is new, and relies on study of formally gradient dynamics of the action (coupled parabolic semilinear partial differential equations on unbounded domains). We apply recently developed techniques of precise control of the local evolution of energy (in this case the Lagrangian action), energy dissipation and flux.