Ergodic theory of parabolic horseshoes (Q2517928)

Let \(S \subset {\mathbb R}^2\) be a closed topological disk whose boundary is smooth except at finitely many (possibly none) points. Let \(f : S \to {\mathbb R}^2\) be a parabolic horseshoe map of smooth type and let \(\omega \in S\) be its parabolic fixed point, that is, \(f\) is a horseshoe map which is uniformly hyperbolic except at the fixed point, and in the oriented arc-length parameterization of \(W^u (\omega)\) stating at \(\omega\), \[ f^{-1}(x) = x \pm a |x|^{\beta+1} + o(|x|^{\beta+1}) \] in a sufficiently small neighborhood of \(0\) with some positive constants a and \(\beta\). Here the sign ``\(-\)'' has to be taken if \(x \geq 0\) and the sign ``\(+\)'' if \(x \leq 0\). In this paper, the authors develop the ergodic theory for such a map \(f\). In order to analyze dynamical and geometric properties of \(f\), by making use of induced maps, the authors establish, in the context of \(\sigma\)-finite measures, an appropriate version of the variational principle for continuous potentials with mild distortion defined on subshifts of finite type. Staying in this setting, the authors propose a concept of \(\sigma\)-finite equilibrium states (each classical probability equilibrium state is a \(\sigma\)-finite equilibrium state). The authors then study the unstable pressure function \(t \mapsto P(-t \log | Df_{|E^u} |)\), the corresponding finite and \(\sigma\)-finite equilibrium states and their associated conditional measures. The main idea is to relate the pressure function to the pressure of an embedded parabolic iterated function system and to apply the theory of the symbolic \(\sigma\)-finite thermodynamic formalism developed by the first author in [Fundam. Math. 151, No. 3, 241--277 (1996; Zbl 0895.58036)] and by the first author with his joint worker \textit{R. D. Mauldin} in [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 20, No. 5, 1423--1447 (2000; Zbl 0982.37045)]. The authors prove, in particular, an appropriate form of the Bowen-Ruelle-Manning-McCluskey formula, the existence of exactly two \(\sigma\)-finite ergodic conservative equilibrium states for the potential \(-t^u \log | Df_{|E^u} |\) (where \(t^u\) denotes the unstable dimension), one of which is the Dirac \(\delta\)-measure supported at the parabolic fixed point and the other being non-atomic. It is also shown that the conditional measures of this non-atomic equilibrium state on the unstable manifolds, are equivalent to (finite and positive) packing measures, whereas the Hausdorff measures vanish. As an application of the above results the authors obtain a classification for the existence of a generalized physical measure, as well as a criterion implying the non-existence of an ergodic measure of maximal dimension.