Compactness of transfer operators and spectral representation of Ruelle zeta functions for super-continuous functions (Q2196714)

Considering a one-sided mixing subshift of finite-type \(\Sigma^{+}\), \(f:\Sigma^{+}\to\mathbb{R}\) and the associated transfer operator defined by \[\mathcal{L}_{f}(\phi)(x):=\sum_{y,\ \sigma(y)=x}e^{f(y)}\phi(y).\] This operator, or more precisely its spectrum, carries a lot of dynamical information on the system. The goal of this paper is to study the case when \(f\) is super-continuous. This means that \(f\) is \(\alpha\)-Hölder continuous for any \(\alpha>0\) (including \(\alpha\to+\infty\)). In Appendix B it is proved that the set of super-continuous functions is much bigger than the set of locally constant functions. If \(f\) is contant on cylinders of length \(m\), then \(\mathcal{L}_{f}\) acts as a matrix on the set \(\mathcal{B}_{m-1}\) of functions constant on \((m-1)\)-cylinders. In this case, \textit{A. Quas} and \textit{J. Siefken} [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 32, No. 6, 2071--2082 (2012; Zbl 1276.37017)] proved that the eigenvalues of \(\mathcal{L}_{f}\) are the same if we consider this operator as acting on \(V\) or on \(\mathcal{B}_{m-1}\). Furthermore, the Ruelle zeta function admits a representation involving these eigenvalues. Here the author extends these when \(f\in V\). Both extensions are not stated for general \(f\in V\) but need to fix how super-continuous \(f\) is. This involves to control variation on \(m\)-cylinders with \(m\to+\infty\). The proofs are based on an approximation of \(\mathcal{L}_{f}\) by operators \(\mathcal{L}_{f_{m}}\) with \(f_{m}\) being a good approximation of \(f\) in \(\mathcal{B}_{m}\). Finally, in Appendix A it is proved that \(\mathcal{L}_{f}\) is not compact on \(V\) although this property would have been expected.