Homeomorphisms of unimodal inverse limit spaces with a non-recurrent critical point (Q842967)

Classifying the inverse limit spaces of unimodal maps is an important problem in Dynamical System and Continuum Theory. A well known conjecture due to W.T. Ingram says: Let \(T_s\) and \(T_t\) be tent maps with slopes \(s\) and \(t\) respectively. Then \(\varprojlim\{[0,1], T_s\}\) is homeomorphic to \(\varprojlim\{[0,1], T_t\}\) if and only if \(s=t\). Ingram's conjecture was proved in many special cases [see e.g. \textit{M. Barge} and \textit{J. Martin}, Lect. Notes Pure Appl. Math. 170, 165--182 (1995; Zbl 0826.58023); \textit{H. Bruin}, Fundam. Math. 165, No. 2, 125--138 (2000; Zbl 0973.37011); \textit{M. Barge} and \textit{B. Diamond}, Fundam. Math. 146, No. 2, 171--187 (1995; Zbl 0851.54037)]. \textit{L. Kailhofer} proved this conjecture in the case that the critical point is periodic [Topology Appl. 123, No. 2, 235--265 (2002; Zbl 1032.54021), Fundam. Math. 177, No. 2, 95--120 (2003; Zbl 1028.54038)]. Subsequently, \textit{L. Block, S. Jakimovik, L. Kailhofer} and \textit{J. Keesling} gave a simple proof [Fundam. Math. 187, No. 2, 171--192 (2005; Zbl 1092.54011)]. Independently \textit{S. Štimac} proved Ingram's conjecture in the case that the critical point is periodic and extended her work to the case that the critical point is preperiodic [PhD thesis, University of Zagreb (2002); Topology Appl. 154, No. 11, 2265--2281 (2007; Zbl 1115.37043)]. Recently \textit{B. E. Raines} and \textit{S. Štimac} proved this conjecture in the case that the critical point is non-recurrent [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 9, No. 2, 1049--1088 (2009; Zbl 1231.37009)]. In the present paper, the authors consider the inverse limit space which is induced by a tent map with a non-recurrent point. They describe the structure of the isotopy classes of the set of homeomorphisms of such a space to itself and prove the following theorem. Theorem. Let \(T\) be a tent map with slope strictly between \(\sqrt 2\) and \(2\) and suppose that the critical point of \(T\) is not recurrent. Let \(h: \varprojlim\{[0,1], T\}\rightarrow \varprojlim\{[0,1], T\}\) be a homeomorphism. Then there is an integer \(k\) such that \(h\) is isotopic to \(\sigma^k\), where \(\sigma\) is the natural shift homeomorphism on \(\varprojlim\{[0,1], T\}\). This result was proved in the case that the critical point is periodic [Block, Jakimovik, Kailhofer and Keesling, loc. cit.]. The main difference between the periodic case and the non-recurrent case is that in the periodic case there are only finitely many folding points and all of these folding points are in fact endpoints. However, in the non-recurrent case, there are no endpoints and they need to deal with perhaps uncountably many folding points in proving the main theorem.