The shrinking target problem for matrix transformations of tori: revisiting the standard problem (Q6046524)

Let \(T\) be a \(d \times d\) matrix with real coefficients. Then \(T\) determines a self-map of the \(d\)-dimensional torus \(\mathbb T^d=\mathbb R^d/\mathbb Z^d\). Let \(\{E_n \}_{n\in \mathbb N}\) be a sequence of subsets of \(\mathbb T^d\) and let \(W(T,\{E_n\})\) be the set of points \(\mathbf{x} \in \mathbb T^d\) such that \(T^n(\mathbf{x})\in E_n\) for infinitely many \(n\in \mathbb N\). For a large class of subsets which includes balls, rectangles, and hyperboloids (these shapes correspond, respectively, to the simultaneous, weighted and multiplicative theories of classical Diophantine approximation), the authors show that the \(d\)-dimensional Lebesgue measure of the shrinking target set \(W(T,\{E_n\})\) is either zero or one according to whether a natural volume sum either converges or diverges. In fact, they prove a quantitative form of this zero-one criterion that describes the asymptotic behaviour of the counting function \(R(\mathbf{x},N)=\#\{1\leq n\leq N: T^n(\mathbf{x})\in E_n\}\). The counting result uses a general quantitative statement that holds for a large class of measure-preserving dynamical systems (namely, those satisfying the so called summable-mixing property). Then the authors investigate the Hausdorff dimension of \(W(T,\{E_n\})\) (whenever the \(d\)-dimensional Lebesgue measure of \(W(T,\{E_n\})\) is zero, it comes quite natural to estimate its size in the sense of Hausdorff dimension). Again, in the case the subsets are balls, rectangles or hyperboloids they obtain precise formulae for the dimension. The dimension results for balls generalise those obtained in [\textit{R. Hill} and \textit{S. L. Velani}, J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 60, No. 2, 381--398 (1999; Zbl 0987.37008)] from integer matrices to real matrices. In the last section the authors discuss various problems originating from the results proved in the paper. The final appendix includes a contribution provided by Baowei Wang.