On rigidity of critical circle maps (Q2015837)

This paper gives a method to construct analytic examples of critical circle maps that are not \(C^{1+ \alpha}\)-rigid. Precisely, the method allows the construction of two analytic critical maps \(f,g: S^1 \mapsto S^1\) with the same irrational rotation number and such that the conjugacy \(h\) between \(f \) and \(g\) is not \(C^{1+ \alpha}\) for any \(\alpha >0\). After the result of \textit{K. Khanin} and \textit{A. Teplinsky} [Invent. Math. 169, 317--351 (2007)], it is known that the conjugacy \(h\) is \(C^1\). The question whether \(h\) is necessarily \(C^{1 + \alpha}\) was posed by \textit{D. Khmelev} and \textit{M. Yampolsky} [Mosc. Math. J. 6, No. 2, 317--351 (2006; Zbl 1124.37024)], who proved that \(h\) is \(C^{1 + \alpha}\) at the point \(0\), i.e., \(h(x) = Dh(0) \cdot x + O(|x|^{1 + \alpha})\). In the example constructed along the proof of Theorem A of this paper, Ávila shows that the \(C^{1 + \alpha}\)-rigidity fails, and thus answers negatively the question above. To prove Theorem A, the author first considers a parabolic renormalization in a neighborhood of a (unique) fixed point \(p\) of a family of critical circle maps \(f_{\epsilon}\), to obtain adequate estimates of \(f_{\epsilon}^n(x)\) and \(f_{\epsilon}^{-n}(x)\) near \(p\). The family which is considered is \(f_{\epsilon} := f - \epsilon\), for a certain fixed map \(f\). Second, he proves that for some small \(\epsilon(n) >0\), the previous estimates converge \(C^1\)-uniformly on compact sets. Third, using the previous convergence result, Ávila proves Theorem 2.1 of his paper. This theorem states that no \(C^1\)-conjugation \(h\), in a previously given and fixed compact set \(K \subset \text{Diff}^1(S^1)\), exists between two adequately contructed critical circle maps \(f_n, g_n\) (for any \(n \in \mathbb{N} \)) that have the same irrational rotation number. Finally, he observes that \(\text{Diff}^{1 + \alpha}(S^1)\) is the countable union of an increasing sequence of compact sets \(K_h \subset \text{Diff}^1(S^1)\). So, applying Theorem 2.1 for all \(n\) large enough, he constructs the two maps \(f\) and \(g\) with the same irrational rotation number and such that \(h \not \in \bigcup_{h \geq 1} K_h = \text{Diff}^{1 + \alpha}(S^1)\).