Julia sets for polynomial diffeomorphisms of \(\mathbb{C}^2\) are not semianalytic (Q1738362)

In complex dynamics in one variable, there are non-trivial examples of rational functions \(f\) having very regular Julia sets: for instance, the maps \(z\mapsto z^d\) with \(d\geq 2\) have the unit circle as their Julia set. Similarly, in higher dimensions, there are examples of polynomial maps having real algebraic Julia sets. In this short but important paper, the authors consider Julia sets of polynomial diffeomorphisms in two variables and investigate whether they can exhibit such nice features. In an earlier publication [J. Geom. Anal. 27, No. 4, 3085--3098 (2017; Zbl 1403.37050)], they proved that there do not exist two-variable polynomial diffeomorphisms with positive entropy whose Julia sets \(J^+\) and \(J^{-}\) are \(C^{1}\)-smooth. Here, \(J^+\) denotes the Julia set of a polynomial diffeomorphism, while \(J^{-}\) is the Julia set of its inverse. The main result of the present article is that, under the above assumptions, neither \(J^+\) nor \(J^{-}\) can be semianalytic. The proofs rely on a description of a putative semianalytic Julia set in terms of Levi-flat hypersurfaces, invariance of associated Segre varieties, the analysis of multipliers at fixed points, and several results from the literature.