Uniform generators, symbolic extensions with an embedding, and structure of periodic orbits (Q2419934)

Let \(X\) be a compact metric space and let \(T:X\rightarrow X\) be a homeomorphism. The authors want to analyse the existence and optimal cardinality of a \textit{uniform generator} in \((X,T)\) (a finite measurable partition \(\mathcal{P}\) of \(X\) such that the maximal diameter of the atoms of \(\mathcal{P}^{[-n,n]}=\vee_{j=-n}^{n}T^j \mathcal{P}\) goes to zero when \(n\) tends to infinity). To this end, the authors notice that it is necessary to do new advances in the theory entropy of \textit{symbolic extensions} \((Y,S)\) of \((X,T)\) (a subshift \((Y,S)\), where \(Y\subseteq\Lambda^{\mathbb{Z}}\), together with a topological factor map \(\pi:(Y,S)\rightarrow (X,T),\) where \(S\) is the shift map). The first main result of the paper establishes the connection between uniform generators and symbolic extensions (with an embedding), stating that the existence of a uniform generator of cardinality smaller than \(\ell\) is equivalent to the existence of a symbolic extension \(\pi\), over an alphabet \(\Lambda\) of cardinality smaller than \(\ell\), admitting a map \(\psi:X\rightarrow Y\) holding \(\psi\circ T=S\circ \psi\) and \(\pi\circ\psi=\mathrm{Id}_X\); here \(\pi\) (or the system \((Y,S)\)) is called a symbolic extension with an embedding due to the fact that \(\psi\) is a measurable embedding of \((Y,S)\) into \((X,T)\). Once the authors have translated their initial goal to the setting of symbolic extensions, in the new frame they try to characterize the collection \(\mathcal{C}\) of \textit{extension entropy functions} (defined on the set \(\mathcal{M}_X\) of \(T\)-invariant probability measures on \(X\) by the formula \(h^{\pi}(\mu)=\sup\{h_\nu(S):\nu\in\pi^{-1}(\mu)\}\), where \(h_\nu(S)\) denotes the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy of \(\nu\) on \(Y\)) in symbolic extensions with an embedding. Their main results apply for zero-dimensional systems, and they distinguish two cases: \begin{itemize} \item[(i)] \((X,T)\) is aperiodic (without periodic orbits); \item[(ii)] it does have periodic points. \end{itemize} In case (i), they prove that \(\mathcal{C}\) coincides with the corresponding collection for general symbolic extensions; in this case, \((X,T)\) is asymptotically \(h\)-expansive if and only if it admits an isomorphic symbolic extension (for a definition of expansiveness, consult [the first author, Monatsh. Math. 184, No. 1, 21--49 (2017; Zbl 1377.37012)], where in fact it was proved that the expansiveness implies that \((X,T)\) admits an isomorphic symbolic extension, that is, the factor map \(\pi\) is an isomorphism between each invariant measures and its unique preimage). With regard to the case (ii), not all the extension entropy functions appearing in general symbolic extensions occur in symbolic extensions with an embedding, and consequently it is necessary to introduce the notion of \textit{period tail structure} (an appropriate sequence of functions \(\mathfrak{B}_k:\mathcal{M}_X\rightarrow [0,\infty)\) whose description is very involved to be presented here); with it, the authors characterize the family of symbolic extensions with an embedding. Finally, as a consequence of the previous analysis, the authors provide an optimal cardinality of uniform generators for topological dynamical systems \((X,T)\), both in the periodic and the aperiodic case.