Blocks of monodromy groups in complex dynamics (Q649024)

Let \(f\) be a complex polynomial of degree \(d\geq 2\), and let \(f^{\circ n}\) denote the \(n\)th iterate of \(f\). Denote by \(MG_n(f)\) the monodromy group of the covering induced by \(f^{\circ n}\); it is the Galois group of \(\mathbb C(t)[x]/(f(x)-t)\) over \(\mathbb C(t)\). It is a permutation group of \(d^n\) points, the \(f^{\circ n}\)-preimage \(R_n\) of the generic point \(t\). The authors study \(MG_n(f)\) and in particular its block structure. Note that \(MG_n(f)\) is a subgroup of the \(n\)-fold iterated wreath product of \(MG_1(f)\), and that \(R_n\) is naturally the \(n\)th level of a \(d\)-regular rooted tree. Recall also that a \textit{block} of a permutation group \(G\) is a subset \(E\subseteq R_n\) such that \(E\cap g(E)\in\{\emptyset,E\}\) for all \(g\in G\). They prove that if either \(d\) is prime or \(MG_1(f)\) acts primitively (namely, without blocks \(\neq\emptyset,R_1\)), then the only blocks of \(MG_n(f)\) are of the form \(f^{\circ-m}(u)\) for some \(m\in\{0,\dots,n\}\) and some \(u\in f^{\circ-m}(t)\). They then show that the hypothesis is necessary. They construct first two polynomials \(h,h'\) of degree \(6\) with different monodromy group, although the forward images of the critical points of \(h,h'\) exhibit the same combinatorics under \(h,h'\) respectively. They also give a polynomial \(h''\) of degree \(6\) such that \(MG_2(h'')\) has a block with \(4\) elements. They finally give an application of their work to complex dynamics. A polynomial \(f\) is said to have \textit{constant weighted sum of iterates} near \(z\in\mathbb C\) if there exist weights \(a_0,a_1,\dots\in\mathbb C\) and a constant \(c\neq0\in\mathbb C\) such that the finite sums \(\sum_{n=0}^N a_n f^{\circ n}\) converge uniformly to the constant function \(c\) in a neighborhood of \(z\) as \(N\to\infty\). The only cases in which it is known that \(f\) has a constant weighted sum of iterates near \(z\) is when \(f\) is affine or when \(z\) lies in a Siegel disc of \(f\) (where \(f\) is analytically conjugated to an irrational rotation), and it is conjectured that these are the only cases. The second author showed this in [Complex Var. Elliptic Equ. 54, No. 3--4, 371--386 (2009; Zbl 1162.32301)] for \textit{generic} polynomials (those with \(d-1\) critical points whose orbits remain disjoint under \(f\)). The authors extend this result to non-generic polynomials, as long as their degree is prime or their monodromy group acts primitively on \(R_1\). However, the counterexample \(h''\) shows that this strategy alone may not settle the conjecture.