Symbolic extensions and uniform generators for topological regular flows (Q2420550)

A symbolic extension \((Y,\sigma)\) of a dynamical system \((X,T)\) is a shift transformation \(\sigma\) on a shift space \(Y\) over a finite alphabet such that there is a continuous surjective \(\pi:Y\to X\) with \(T\circ \pi =\pi\circ\sigma\). In [Invent. Math. 156, No. 1, 119--161 (2004; Zbl 1216.37004)], \textit{M. Boyle} and \textit{T. Downarowicz} have introduced new entropy invariants which allow to know whether a dynamical system may be encoded with a finite alphabet or not. Formally such a code is given by a symbolic extension. In this paper, building on the theory of symbolic extensions and uniform generators for discrete transformations, the author develops a similar theory for topological regular flows, which here is given by a suspension flow over a subshift. This is done by considering partitions with small boundary, i.e., with boundaries having zero measure for any invariant probability measure. The following main results are established: (1) Let \((X, \Phi )\) be a (resp., aperiodic) regular topological flow with the small flow boundary property. It admits a symbolic extension (resp., a uniform generator) if and only if for some (any) \(\not= 0\), the time \(t\)-map admits a symbolic extension. Moreover this property is invariant under orbit equivalence; (2) Any \(C^\infty\) smooth aperiodic flow admits an isomorphic symbolic extension; (3) Let \((X, \phi)\) be a regular aperiodic flow admitting a uniform generator. Then for any \(t\not= 0\) small enough (depending only on the topological entropy of \(\Phi\)) and for any \(\alpha >0\) there is a \(3\)-partition of a Borel global cross-section such that the associated partition of \(X\) in towers is an \(\alpha\)-uniform generator of \(\Phi_t\).