The categorical basis of dynamical entropy (Q6196225)

The objects that are usually in consideration in topological dynamics are various invariant behavior such as attractors, invariant sets and omega-limit sets, as well as various asymptotic properties such as invariant measures, stable and unstable manifolds, and entropy. This paper focuses on entropy. Complexity may be measured in 4 different ways (three with respect to refinement of partitions, while one with respect to refinement of the metric), but it is well known [\textit{P. Walters}, An introduction to ergodic theory. Springer, Cham (1982; Zbl 0475.28009), Theorem 9.4] that they have the same asymptotic limit, to be called the \textit{topological entropy}. This paper aims to reprove this classical result on entropy using a categorical route, which involves a categorical reformulation of several topological notions such as open covers, diameter and Lebesgue number. The categorical formulation brings to light various structural properties of the dynamics, that is to say, various functors it induces. The synopsis of the paper goes as follows. \begin{itemize} \item[\S 2] re-examines some basic concepts of topology. The most significant outcome is that the notions of diameter and Lebesgue number of a partition are to be reinterpreted as functors, or more precisely, as \textit{Kan extensions}. \item[\S 3] introduces the notion of a qualifying pair. Diameter and Lebesgue number are shown to be such a pair. \item[\S 4] shows that the existence of qualifying pairs have important consequences when studying limiting behavior, or more precisely, colimits. \item[\S 5] redefines the notions of complexity in a functorial way. \item[\S 6] establishes that the four measures of complexity have the same asymptotic limit to be called the \textit{categorical entropy} in place of topological entropy. \item[\S 7] provides the proofs of the lemmas and theorems that are used in the previous section. \end{itemize}