The topological entropy of non-dense orbits and generalized Schmidt games

Abstract

We generalize the notion of Schmidt games to the setting of the general Caratheódory construction. The winning sets for such generalized Schmidt games usually have large corresponding Caratheódory dimensions (e.g., Hausdorff dimension and topological entropy). As an application, we show that for every $C^{1+\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}}$-partially hyperbolic diffeomorphism $f:M\rightarrow M$ satisfying certain technical conditions, the topological entropy of the set of points with non-dense forward orbits is bounded below by the unstable metric entropy (in the sense of Ledrappier–Young) of certain invariant measures. This also gives a unified proof of the fact that the topological entropy of such a set is equal to the topological entropy of $f$, when $f$ is a toral automorphism or the time-one map of a certain non-quasiunipotent homogeneous flow.