No label defined (Q4430802)

The following question was asked by W. Kuperberg: Let \(A\) be an annulus, \(\{(r,\theta): 1\leq r\leq 3, 0\leq\theta<2\pi\}\), and let \(h\) be an orientation reversing homeomorphism \(A\to A\) which does not interchange the boundary components \(\{r=1\}\) and \(\{r=3\}\) of \(A\). Do there always exist two disjoint subcontinua \(F_1\) and \(F_2\), each invariant under \(h\), such that \(F_1\cup F_2\) separates the annulus? The author shows that the answer is no. He constructs an example of a homeomorphism \(F:A\to A\) such that (i) if \(r=1\) or \(r=3\), then \(F(r,\theta)=(r,-\theta)\), (ii) if \(1<r<3\), then the set of forward limit points of the orbit \(F^n(r,\theta)\) is the circle \(\{r=1\}\) and the set of backward limit points of the orbit \(F^n(r,\theta)\) is the circle \(\{r=3\}\). Moreover, the author constructs another example with the same property (i) and a modified property (ii): \(F^{2n}(r,\theta)\to(1,0)\) and \(F^{-2n}(r,\theta)\to(3,0)\) as \(n\to\infty\).