Entropy of algebraic maps (Q1378962)

We study the case where \(X\) is a compact analytic space of complex dimension \(n\) and \(\Gamma \subset X\times X\) is a graph of a dominating algebraic function. That is, \(\Gamma\subset X\times X\) is a closed irreducible complex subspace of dimension \(n\) such that the projection of \(\Gamma\) on its first and second components is \(X\). Set \[ X^\infty =\prod^\infty_1 X_i,\quad X_i=X,\quad i=1,\dots \] \[ \Gamma^\infty=\{(x_i)^\infty_1,\quad (x_i,x_{i+1})\in\Gamma,\quad i=1,2,\dots\}. \] Then \(X^\infty\), \(\Gamma^\infty\) are compact metric spaces in the Tikhonov topology. Let \(\sigma: X^\infty\to X^\infty\) be the shift map. Clearly, \(\sigma: \Gamma^\infty\to\Gamma^\infty\). The dynamics of \(\sigma|_{\Gamma^\infty}\) is the dynamics induced by the graph \(\Gamma\). Let \(h(\Gamma)= h(\sigma|_{\Gamma^\infty})\) be the entropy of \(\sigma\) restricted to \(\Gamma^\infty\). We are mainly concerned with upper estimates of \(h(\Gamma)\). Following \textit{M. Gromov} [On the entropy of holomorphic maps, Preprint 1977] and \textit{S. Friedland} [Entropy of rational selfmaps of projective varieties, Adv. Ser. Dynamical Syst., Vol. 9, World Scientific, Singapore, 128-140 (1991)] we show \(h(\Gamma)\leq \text{lov}(\Gamma)\). Here \(\text{lov}(\Gamma)\) is the volume growth of the projections of \(\Gamma^\infty\) on the first \(k\) coordinates, \(k=2,\dots\). In the case that \(X\) is Kähler and \(\Gamma\) is the graph of a holomorphic map \(F:X\times X\) we prove rigorously that \(h(F) = h(\Gamma(F))=\log\rho(F)\) where \(\rho(F)\) is the spectral radius of the induced action of \(F\) on the homology groups of \(X\). Next we consider finite algebraic maps, that is, where \(\Gamma\), \(X\) are projective varieties and the projections of \(\Gamma\) on the first and the second factors are finite-to-one maps. We show that \(\Gamma\) induces a linear operator on the analytic homology of \(X\), that is, the homology groups generated by analytic cycles. Let \(\rho_a(\Gamma)\) be the spectral radius of this linear operator. Then it is shown that \(\text{lov}(\Gamma)\leq \log \rho_a(\Gamma)\). It is conjectured that as in the Kähler case \(h(\Gamma)=\text{lov}(\Gamma)=\log\rho_a(\Gamma)\). In the last section we discuss the case where the projections of \(\Gamma\) on the first and the second coordinates are branched nonfinite to one covering. One still has the inequality \(h(\Gamma)\leq\text{lov} (\Gamma)\leq \log \rho_a(\Gamma)\). By iterating this inequality one can improve the upper bound on \(h(\Gamma)\) as in the case of rational maps \(F:X\to X\) discussed in [\textit{S. Friedland}, Ann. Math., II. Ser. 133, No. 2, 359-368 (1991; Zbl 0737.54006)].