Coupled map lattices without cluster expansion (Q1884224)

The authors investigate invariant measures for a dynamical system of the following form. Let \(T\) be a \(C^2\)-expanding map of the circle \(\mathbb T\) with \(|DT| \geq \lambda > 1\). Write \(\Omega = \mathbb T^{\mathbb Z}\) and denote by \(F_0: \Omega \to \Omega\) the induced map \(F_0 (x)_i = Tx_i\). For a map \(g: \mathbb T \to \mathbb R\) of class \(C^2\), \(\alpha_j \in \mathbb R\), \(r > 0\) and \(\varepsilon > 0\) define \(G_\varepsilon (x)_i = x_i + \varepsilon \sum_{|j| \leq r} \alpha_j g (x_{i + j})\) and \(F_\varepsilon (x) = G_\varepsilon (F_0 (x))\); this is a coupled map lattice system with rather low regularity. The main result of the paper shows that for sufficiently small \(\varepsilon\), there exists an \(F_\varepsilon\)-invariant probability measure \(\mu_\varepsilon\) on \(\Omega\) with finite-dimensional marginals absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure. This measure is exponentially mixing in space and time, and it is \(\varepsilon \log \varepsilon^{-1}\)-close to the invariant measure for the unperturbed system. Its entropy density relative to Lebesgue measure is finite. The proof relies on a technical result which establishes spectral gap for the transfer operator of the system.