Low-temperature phase transitions in the quadratic family (Q2437529)

In this paper the authors provide an example of a map having a \textit{low-temperature phase transition}. The map belongs to the quadratic family \[ f_c(z) = z^2+c, \] which, for real \(c\), defines two dynamical systems, one on a subinterval of \(\mathbb{R}\) and, the other, on \(\mathbb{C}\). In the real case, for a suitable choice of the parameter~\(c\), the interval \(I_c =[c, f_c(c)]\) is invariant, and \({f_c}_{\mid I_c}\) is topologically exact. In the complex case, \(f_c\) acts on its Julia set, \(J_c\). For each of these maps (real and complex), one considers the corresponding real or complex \textit{geometric pressure function}, which is defined as follows. Let \(\mathcal{M}_c^*\), \(* = \mathbb{R}, \mathbb{C}\), be the space of probability measures supported on \(I_c\), in the real case, or on \(J_c\), in the complex case. For \(\mu \in \mathcal{M}_c^*\), \(* = \mathbb{R},\mathbb{C}\), let \(h_{\mu}(f_c)\) be the measure theoretic entropy of \(f_c\) with respect to \(\mu\). The geometric pressure function of \(f_c\) (considered as a dynamical system on \(I_c\) or \(J_c\)) is the function \(P_c^*: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}\), \(* = \mathbb{R}, \mathbb{C}\), defined by \[ P_c^* (t) = \sup \left\{ h_{\mu}(f_c)- t \int \log |Df_c| d\mu \; \mid \; \mu \in \mathcal{M}_c^*\right\}. \] An invariant probability measure \(\mu\in \mathcal{M}_c^*\) (supported on \(I_c\) or \(J_c\)) is an \textit{equilibrium state of \(f_c\) (on \(I_c\) or \(J_c\)) for the potential \(-t \log |Df_c|\)} if the supremum in \(P_c^* (t)\) is attained at \(\mu\). The map \({f_c}_{\mid I_c}\), resp. \({f_c}_{\mid J_c}\), has a phase transition at \(t^*\) if \(P_c^\mathbb{R}\), resp. \(P_c^\mathbb{C}\), is not analytic at \(t=t^*\). The map \(f_{-2}\) has a phase transition at \(t^* = -2\). If \(c\neq 2\) and real, the map \(f_c\) has at most one phase transition, that takes place for \(t>0\). See [\textit{F. Przytycki} and the second author, Commun. Math. Phys. 301, No. 3, 661--707 (2011; Zbl 1211.37055)], for the real case and [\textit{F. Przytycki} and the second author, ``Geometric pressure for multimodal maps of the interval'', Preprint, \url{http://www.impan.pl/~feliksp/interval24a.pdf} (2013)], for the complex one. The phase transition at \(t^*\) is of \textit{low temperature} if \(P_c^\mathbb{R}(t^*) < 0\), resp. \(P_c^\mathbb{C}(t^*) < 0\). Otherwise it is of \textit{high temperature}. When the map is uniformly hyperbolic, its geometric pressure has no phase transitions. If \(f_c\) is not uniformly hyperbolic and does not satisfy \[ \liminf_{n\to +\infty} \frac{1}{n} \log |D f_c^n(c)| >0, \] then the geometric pressure is non-negative and vanishes if \(t\) is large enough, which implies that it has a phase transition. These phase transitions are of high temperature. The above inequality is known as the \textit{Collet-Eckmann condition}. The paper is concerned with the case when \(f_c\) satisfies the Collet-Eckmann condition. It has been proved in [\textit{A. Avila} and \textit{C. G. Moreira}, Ann. of Math 161, No. 2, 831--881 (2005; Zbl 1211.37055)] that the set of real \(c\) for which \(f_c\) is not uniformly hyperbolic and does not satisfy the Collet-Eckmann condition has zero Lebesgue measure. Here the authors prove that there exists a real value of the parameter \(c\) such that the pressure functions of both \({f_c}_{\mid I_c}\) and \({f_c}_{\mid J_c}\) have a low-temperature phase transition. For this value of the parameter, the critical point of \(f_c\) is non-recurrent. The parameter \(c\) can be chosen in such a way that the pressure functions are non-differentiable at the phase transition and that there is a unique equilibrium state at the phase transition.