Examples of dynamical degree equals arithmetic degree (Q2449620)

Let \(f : X \rightarrow X\) be a dominant rational map of a projective variety defined over \(\bar{\mathbb{Q}}\). An important geometric-dynamical invariant of \(f\) is its (first) dynamical degree \(\delta_f = \lim \rho((f^n)^*)^{1/n}\). For points \(P \in X(\bar{\mathbb{Q}})\) whose forward orbit is well defined, there is an analogous arithmetic degree \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P)= \limsup h_X(f^n(P))^{1/n}\), where \(h_X\) is an ample Weil height on \(X\). The inequality \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P) \leq \delta_f\) was already proved by the authors in an earlier paper. The authors also conjectured that the equality \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P) = \delta_f\) is attained whenever the orbit \(\mathcal{O}_f(P)\) of the point \(P\) is Zariski dense. In this paper, the authors provide support for the conjecture by proving that, there is a Zariski dense set of points with disjoint orbits and satisfying \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P) = \delta_f\). The inequality \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P) = \delta_f\) is deduced from the positivity of te weak lower canonical height: \[ \underline{h}^0_{f,D}= \liminf \frac{h_D(f^n(P))}{\delta_f^n}. \] This method was already introduced by the authors for maps on the projective space \(\mathbb{P}^n\) in the paper [the second author, ``Dynamical degree, arithmetic entropy and canonical heights for dominant rational self-maps of the projective space'', Preprint, \url{arXiv:1111.5664}]. The positivity of the weak lower canonical height is obtained in this paper by doing a local estimate at a special prime \(\mathfrak{p}\) with positive local height contribution \(-\log \| .\|_{\mathfrak{p}} \geq 0\). In the first section of the paper, the authors start by proving the equality \(\bar{\alpha}_f(P) = \delta_f\) for a number of particular cases: (a) \(f\) is a morphism and \(NS(X)_{\mathbb{R}}=\mathbb{R}\). (b) \(f\) is the extension to \(\mathbb{P}^n\) of a regular affine automorphism \(\mathbb{A}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{A}^n\). (c) \(f\) is an automorphism on a smooth projective surface. (d) \(f : \mathbb{P}^N \rightarrow \mathbb{P}^N \) is a monomial map and we consider only points \(P \in \mathbb{G}^N_m(\bar{\mathbb{Q}})\). Together with the article [loc. cit.], this paper constitutes a good introduction to dynamical degrees and many of the properties of this dynamic invariant in relation to different canonical heights and arithmetic degrees.