Pseudo-rotations with sufficiently Liouvillean rotation number are $$C^0$$ C 0 -rigid

Abstract

It is an open question in smooth ergodic theory whether there exists a Hamiltonian disk map with zero topological entropy and (strong) mixing dynamics. Weak mixing has been known since Anosov and Katok first constructed examples in 1970. Currently all known examples with weak mixing are irrational pseudo-rotations with Liouvillean rotation number on the boundary. Our main result however implies that for a dense subset of Liouville numbers (strong) mixing cannot occur. Our approach involves approximating the flow of a suspension of the given disk map by pseudoholomorphic curves. Ellipticity of the Cauchy–Riemann equation allows quantitative \(L^2\)-estimates to be converted into \(C^0\)-estimates between the pseudoholomorphic curves and the trajectories of the flow on growing time scales. Arithmetic properties of the rotation number enter through these estimates.