Calculating derivatives with respect to parameters in iterated function systems (Q1091004)

An iterated function system is a dynamical system consisting of several contracting maps with associated probabilities. Under certain general assumptions, long-term average values of physical quantities associated with an iterated function system which is dependent on an external parameter are differentiable functions of the parameter. We present methods for the calculation of the derivatives of average values with respect to a parameter. These algorithms yield values for these derivatives with an amount of computation proportional to the calculation of the average values themselves to the same accuracy. We also show how the derivatives might be calculated in the case where the probabilities vary with position and with the parameter.