Evaluation of upper Lyapunov exponents on hyperbolic sets (Q1842045)

The authors show that, for hyperbolic invariant sets with a one- dimensional unstable foliation, an approximate or computed maximal Lyapunov exponent is close to the true maximal Lyapunov exponent on some trajectory on these sets. The authors' results provide a partial answer to the question ``How do the Lyapunov exponents of a dynamical system change as the dynamical system is changed slightly by a computed approximation?'' The question is important because true Lyapunov exponents cannot be computed without computation of true trajectories, and this apparently requires exponentially high precision of the initial conditions if one of the Lyapunov exponents is positive. The authors' previous computer experiments indicated that at least the largest Lyapunov exponent can be quite insensitive to computer-introduced perturbations. Those results naturally led to the analytical work described in the paper.