Rotation number and Lyapunov exponent in two-dimensional maps (Q913349)

In addition to characteristic exponents, Ruelle also considered the rotation numbers for a diffeomorphism of a two-manifold with the trivial tangent bundle. The value of the rotation number at x is formally defined to be \[ \lim_{N\to \infty}(1/N)\cdot \theta (Df^ n(x)) \] where \(\theta\) is the rotation angle of the unitary matrix in the polar decomposition, while \(Df^ n\) is the element of the covering space of GL(2,R) corresponding to the derivative. If the map preserves a probabilistic measure, the limit exists almost everywhere and is constant a.e. provided the transformation is also ergodic. By identifying SL(2,R) with \(SU(1,1)_ C\) and considering explicitly the cover of the latter group, the authors obtain an effective algorithm which allows them to simultaneously find the rotation number as well as Lyapunov exponents for a map. Besides offering a way to approximate their values numerically, this algorithm also suggests that if the map is submerged in a family of maps which is regular in a suitable sense, integral relations between the Lyapunov exponents and the rotation number should hold in this family. The algorithm is illustrated, and the integral relations are checked, for the Hénon map.