Measures of maximal entropy for suspension flows

Abstract

We study suspension flows defined over sub-shifts of finite type with continuous roof functions. We prove the existence of suspension flows with uncountably many ergodic measures of maximal entropy. More generally, we prove that any suspension flow defined over a sub-shift of finite type can be perturbed (by an arbitrarily small perturbation) so that the resulting flow has uncountably many ergodic measures of maximal entropy, and that the same can be arranged so that the new flow has a unique measure of maximal entropy.