Slow entropy of some parabolic flows (Q2323506)

Quasi-unipotent flows on homogeneous spaces (horocycle flow on a surface of constant negative curvature, for example) are examples of geometrically natural parabolic dynamical systems, combining potentially rich statistical or ergodic properties like mixing of all orders with zero topological entropy (and hence zero measure-theoretic entropy for all invariant measures). In pursuit of non-trivial entropy-like invariants, two main approaches for systems of zero entropy emerged. \textit{A. G. Kushnirenko} [Russ. Math. Surv. 22, No. 5, 53--61 (1967; Zbl 0169.46101); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 22, No. 5(137), 57--65 (1967)] introduced the sequence entropy, where information growth along a faster sequence than the natural numbers is measured, leading to new invariants and a characterization of a discrete spectrum. The second approach comes from the work of \textit{A. Katok} and \textit{J.-P. Thouvenot} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Probab. Stat. 33, No. 3, 323--338 (1997; Zbl 0884.60009)], who adapted the relationship between entropy and dimension to produce a different invariant called slow entropy. Here the slow entropy for polynomial scales is calculated for quasi-unipotent flows on a finite-volume homogeneous space, and sequence entropies are computed for quasi-unipotent flows on compact homogeneous spaces. There is a key technical issue in the infinite volume case because the injectivity radius for the quotient map defining the homogenous space can tend to zero. Examples are found exhibiting the failure of the variational principle for slow entropy. The relationship between these notions and complexity theory, the study of systems with low complexity in particular, is also expounded.