The stability of a fixed point of an area-preserving transformation in the plane is characterized by the invariant curves which surround it. The existence of invariant curves had been extensively studied for elliptic fixed points. Here we study the similar problem for parabolic fixed points. In particular we are interested in the case where the fixed point is at infinity.

Let R be a Borel equivalence relation with countable equivalence classes on a measure space M. Intuitively, a ‘treeing’ of R is a measurably-varying way of makin each equivalence class into the vertices of a tree. We make this definition rigorous. We prove that if each equivalence class becomes a tree with polynomial growth, then the equivalence relation is amenable. We prove that if the equivalence relation is finite measure-preserving and amenable, then almost every tree (i.e., equivalence class) must have one or two ends.

We show that if π: ΣG → ΣH is a bounded-to-1 factor map from an irreducible shift of finite type ΣG with period pG to a shift of finite type ΣH with period pH, then there is a factor map that is (pG/pH)-to-1 almost everywhere. Moreover, if π is right closing, then may be taken to be right closing also.

Let (X, F, μ) be a probability measure space, p and β real numbers such that 1≤p<+∞ and 0<β<p. For any linear positive operator T satisfying T1, T*1 = 1 we prove the norm and pointwise convergence of the sequence We get then the pointwise and norm convergence in Lp, 0 < β ≥ 1 < p < 2, of the sequence sgn Sif for any positive linear operator on Lp(Ω, A, μ) (μ-σ-finite) verifying ∥(1 − α)I + αS∥p ≤ 1 for a real number 0 < α < 1. In the particular case α = 1, (S is a contraction), β = p−l, this result gives the pointwise and norm convergence of the sequences introduced by Beauzamy and Enflo in 1985 to the asymptotic center of the sequence .

A fixed point of an area-preserving mapping of the plane is called elliptic if the eigenvalues of its linearization are of unit modulus but not ±1; it is parabolic if both eigenvalues are 1 or −1. The elliptic case is well understood by Moser's theory. Here we study when is a parabolic fixed point surrounded by closed invariant curves. We approximate our mapping T by the phase flow of an Hamiltonian system. A pair of variables, closely related to the action-angle variables, is used to reduce T into a twist mapping. The conditions for T to have closed invariant curves are stated in terms of the Hamiltonian.

Under a natural assumption the Hausdorff dimension of a measure μ canonically associated with a given self-affine set is computed. A simplified proof of Bowen's formula for the box dimension of self-affine sets proved earlier is given. A condition for the box dimension and Hausdorff dimension to be equal is proven, and a collection of examples in which this condition can be checked is discussed.

A generalization of the class of monotone twistmaps to maps of s1 × RN is proposed. The existence of Birkhoff orbits is studied, and a criterion for positive topological entropy is given. These results are then specialized to the case of monotone twist maps. Finally it is shown that there is a large class of symplectic maps to which the foregoing discussion applies.

We prove that the automorphism group of a one-sided subshift of finite type is generated by elements of finite order. For one-sided full shifts we characterize the finite subgroups of the automorphism group. For one-sided subshifts of finite type we show that there are strong restrictions on the finite subgroups of the automorphism group.

Assume T is an ergodic measure preserving point transformation from a probability space onto itself. Let be a sequence of pairs of positive integers, and define the sequence of averaging operators . Necessary and sufficient conditions are given forthis sequence of averages to converge almost everywhere. Weighted versions are also considered.

In this paper we make precise the relationship between local or pointwise dimension and the dimension structure of Borel probability measures on metric spaces. Sufficient conditions for exact-dimensionality of the stationary ergodic distributions associated with a dynamical system are obtained. A counterexample is provided to show that ergodicity alone is not sufficient to guarantee exactdimensionality even in the case of continuous maps or flows.

We identify a set of generators for the automorphism group of the one-sided d-shift. For the 3-shift, this set of generators has an application to the dynamics of cubic polynomials.

Let be an irreducible 0–1 matrix such that the non-zero entries in each row are consecutive. Let be the class of piecewise linear Markov transformations τ on [0, 1] into [0, 1] induced by for which the absolutely continuous invariant measure has maximal entropy. The main result presents necessary and sufficient slope conditions on τ which guarantee that τ ∈ .

Motivated by the close relation between Aubry-Mather theory and minimal geodesies on a 2-torus we study the existence and properties of minimal geodesics in compact Riemannian manifolds of dimension ≥3. We prove that there exist minimal geodesics with certain rotation vectors and that there are restrictions on the rotation vectors of arbitrary minimal geodesics. A detailed analysis of the minimal geodesics of the ‘Hedlund examples’ shows that – to a certain extent – our results are optimal.

Almost simple (AS) minimal flows are defined and it is shown that any factor map of an AS flow is, up to almost 1−1 equivalence, a group factor. An analogous theorem for metric, regular, point distal extensions is proved. In particular a theorem of Gottschalk is strengthened to show that any regular, point distal, metric flow is equicontinuous. When the acting group T is commutative it is shown that every proper minimal joining of an AS flow X and a minimal flow Y, is, up to almost 1−1 extensions, the relative product of X and Y over a common factor which is a group factor of X.

In this paper we give a complete set of invariants (moduli) for mild and strong semilocal equivalence for certain two parameter families of diffeomorphisms on surfaces. These families exhibit a quasi-transversal saddle-connection between a saddle-node and a hyperbolic periodic point.

We consider Anosov flows on a 5-dimensional smooth manifold V that possesses an invariant symplectic form (transverse to the flow) and a smooth invariant probability measure λ. Our main technical result is the following: If the Anosov foliations are C∞, then either (1) the manifold is a transversely locally symmetric space, i.e. there is a flow-invariant C∞ affine connection ∇ on V such that ∇R ≡ 0, where R is the curvature tensor of ∇, and the torsion tensor T only has nonzero component along the flow direction, or (2) its Oseledec decomposition extends to a C∞ splitting of TV (defined everywhere on V) and for any invariant ergodic measure μ, there exists χμ > 0 such that the Lyapunov exponents are −2χμ, −χμ, 0, χμ, and 2χμ, μ-almost everywhere.

As an application, we prove: Given a closed three-dimensional manifold of negative curvature, assume the horospheric foliations of its geodesic flow are C∞. Then, this flow is C∞ conjugate to the geodesic flow on a manifold of constant negative curvature.

Using the asymptotic properties of products of random matrices we study some properties of the subgroups of the linear group. These properties are centered around the theorem of J. Tits giving the existence of free subgroups in linear groups.

We show that the pseudo-Anosov diflEeomorphisms have a kind of stability even outside their own homotopy class, this generalizes some results of Lewowicz and Handel. As a corollary, we show that two pseudo-Anosov maps, with the same dilatation coefficient, which are semi-conjugate on the π1 level are also semiconjugate as dynamical systems by a map which is a ramified cover.

This paper contains a study of attractors in cellular automata, particularly the minimal attractors as defined by J. Milnor. Milnor's definition of attractor uses a measure on the state space; the measures that we consider are Bernoulli product measures. Given a Bernoulli measure it is shown that a cellular automaton has at most one minimal attractor; when there is one, it is the omega-limit set of almost all points. Examples are given to show that the minimal attractor can change as the Bernoulli measure is varied. Other examples illustrate the difference between this result and the corresponding result that is obtained by replacing Milnor's definition of attractor by the purely topological definition used by C. Conley. The examples also show that certain invariant sets of cellular automata are less well-behaved than one might hope: for instance the periodic points are not necessarily dense in the nonwandering set.

Two Markov chains are regularly isomorphic if and only if they have a common Markov extension by right closing block codes of degree one. A certain ideal class in the integral group ring of the ratio group associated to a Markov chain is a new invariant of regular isomorphism and some other coding relations.