Topological dynamics of Markov multi-maps of the interval

Abstract

We study Markov multi-maps of the interval from the point of view of topological dynamics. Specifically, we define the forward trajectory system of a Markov multi-map, and we investigate whether it has properties such as topological transitivity, topological mixing, density of periodic points, and specification. To each Markov multi-map we associate a shift of finite type (SFT), and our main results relate the properties of the SFT with those of the forward trajectory system. Under a general coding condition, we establish necessary and sufficient conditions for topological transitivity and topological mixing of the forward trajectory system. These results complement existing work showing a relationship between the topological entropy of a Markov multi-map and its associated SFT. We also characterize when the inverse limit systems associated to the Markov multi-maps have the properties mentioned above.