Equidistribution towards the bifurcation current. I: Multipliers and degree \(d\) polynomials (Q330825)

Let \(\mathcal{P}_d\) be the moduli space (under affine conjugacy) of degree-\(d\) complex polynomials with \(d-1\) marked critical points. The bifurcation locus is the closure in \(\mathcal{P}_d\) of the set of discontinuity of the map associating to \(P\in\mathcal{P}_d\) its Julia set, endowed with the bifurcation current \(T_{\mathrm{bif}}\) (see, e.g., [\textit{L. DeMarco}, Math. Res. Lett. 8, No. 1--2, 57--66 (2001; Zbl 0991.37030)]) defined as \(dd^cL\), where \(L\) is the Lyapunov exponent of \(P\). The main result of this paper is the fact that \(T_{\mathrm{bif}}\) can be approximated (in the sense of currents) by the hypersurfaces of polynomials having periodic points of fixed multiplier. More precisely, if \(\mathrm{Per}_n(w)\) denotes the set (known to be an algebraic hypersurface) of \(p\in\mathcal{P}_d\) having a cycle of exact period \(n\) and multiplier \(w\in\mathbb{C}\) then \(d^{-n}[\mathrm{Per}_n(w)]\) converges in the weak sense of currents to \(T_{\mathrm{bif}}\) as \(n\to+\infty\). This generalises previous results by \textit{G. Bassanelli} and \textit{F. Berteloot} [Math. Ann. 345, No. 1, 1--23 (2009; Zbl 1179.37067); Nagoya Math. J. 201, 23--43 (2011; Zbl 1267.37049)] valid for \(|w|\leq 1\), and by \textit{X. Buff} and the author [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 143, No. 7, 3011--3017 (2015; Zbl 1334.37038)] valid for \(d=2\). An important step in the proof is a new comparison theorem for plurisubharmonic functions. Let \(X\) be a complex manifold of dimension \(k\geq 1\) admitting a smooth plurisubharmonic function \(w\) such that \((dd^cw)^k\) is a non-degenerate volume form outside a strict analytic subset. Let \(\Omega\subset X\) be a \(C^1\) domain, and \(u\), \(v\) plurisubharmonic functions defined on \(\Omega\), with \(v\) continuous and such that \((dd^cv)^k\) has finite mass. Assume that there exists a compact subset \(K\subset\subset\Omega\) such that \(\mathrm{supp}((dd^c v)^k)\subset\partial K\) and \((dd^cv)^k(\partial U)=0\) for any connected component of the interior of \(K\). Then the author proves that if \(u\leq v\) on \(\Omega\) and \(u\equiv v\) on \(\Omega\setminus K\) then \(u\equiv v\) on \(\Omega\).