Entropy in the cusp and phase transitions for geodesic flows (Q1650454)

The authors consider the unit tangent bundle \(T^1M\) of a noncompact Riemannian manifold \(M\) which is the quotient of a Hadamard manifold by an extended Shottky group \(\Gamma\). They use the known coding of its geodesic flow \(g\) by a suspension flow over countable Markov shifts. They are specifically interested in sequences \((\nu_n)\subset M_g\) of invariant probability measures for the geodesic flow, and study their loss of mass. Specifically they compute the entropy at infinity (or entropy in the cusps) \(h_\infty(g)\), which is the supremum, taken over all such sequences \((\nu_n)\) going vaguely to 0, of \(\,\limsup_{n\to\infty}\limits h_{\nu_n}\) (\(h_{\nu_n}\) being the entropy of \(\nu_n\)). \ Precisely, they prove that \(\,h_\infty(g)\) is equal to the maximal critical exponent of parabolic subgroups of \(\Gamma\) (which is strictly smaller than the the topological entropy of \(g\)). \textit{R. Bowen} and \textit{D. Ruelle} [Invent. Math. 29, 181--202 (1975; Zbl 0311.58010)] proved that for Axiom A flows and potentials the pressure cannot undergo any phase transition. The authors establish here that in their noncompact setting there exist potentials \(f\) such that the associated pressure function \(\,P_g(tf) \equiv \sup\{h_\nu+ \nu(tf)\,|\, \nu\in M_g\}\) satisfies\(\,\): -- \ \(\,h_\infty(g) = \lim_{s\to -\infty}\limits P_g(sf) \leq P_g(tf)\,\) for any real \(t\,\); -- \ there exists some \(\,t_c\in \overline{\mathbb R}\,\) such that \(\,P_g(tf) = h_\infty(g)\,\) for \(t< t_c\,\), and for \(t> t_c\,\) \(\,t\mapsto P_g(tf)\) is increasing, strictly convex and analytic\(\,\); -- \ the potential \(tf\) has a unique equilibrium measure for \(t>t_c\,\) and none for \(t<t_c\,\).