Postsingular Set Research Articles

Splitting Hairs with Transcendental Entire Functions

Abstract In recent years, there has been significant progress in the understanding of the dynamics of transcendental entire functions with bounded postsingular set. In particular, for certain classes of such functions, a complete description of their topological dynamics in terms of a simpler model has been given inspired by methods from polynomial dynamics. In this paper, and for the 1st time, we give analogous results in cases when the postsingular set is unbounded. More specifically, we show that if $f$ is of finite order, has bounded criticality on its Julia set $J(f)$, and its singular set consists of finitely many critical values that escape to infinity and satisfy a certain separation condition, then $J(f)$ is a collection of dynamic rays or hairs, which split at critical points, together with their corresponding landing points. In fact, our result holds for a much larger class of functions with bounded singular set. Moreover, this result is a consequence of a significantly more general one: we provide a topological model for the action of $f$ on its Julia set.

Geometrically finite transcendental entire functions

For polynomials, local connectivity of Julia sets is a much-studied and important property. Indeed, when the Julia set of a polynomial of degree $d\geq 2$ is locally connected, the topological dynamics can be completely described as a quotient of a much simpler system: angle $d$-tupling on the circle. For a transcendental entire function, local connectivity is less significant, but we may still ask for a description of the topological dynamics as the quotient of a simpler system. To this end, we introduce the notion of "docile" functions: a transcendental entire function with bounded postsingular set is docile if it is the quotient of a suitable disjoint-type function. Moreover, we prove docility for the large class of geometrically finite transcendental entire functions with bounded criticality on the Julia set. This can be seen as an analogue of the local connectivity of Julia sets for geometrically finite polynomials, first proved by Douady and Hubbard, and extends previous work of the second author and of Mihaljevi\'c for more restrictive classes of entire functions.

Combinatorics of criniferous entire maps with escaping critical values

A transcendental entire function is called criniferous if every point in its escaping set can eventually be connected to infinity by a curve of escaping points. Many transcendental entire functions with bounded singular set have this property, and this class has recently attracted much attention in complex dynamics. In the presence of escaping critical values, these curves break or split at critical points. In this paper, we develop combinatorial tools that allow us to provide a complete description of the escaping set of any criniferous function without asymptotic values on its Julia set. In particular, our description precisely reflects the splitting phenomenon. This combinatorial structure provides the foundation for further study of this class of functions. For example, we use these results in another paper to give the first full description of the topological dynamics of a class of transcendental entire maps with unbounded postsingular set.

Orbifold expansion and entire functions with bounded Fatou components

AbstractMany authors have studied the dynamics of hyperbolic transcendental entire functions; these are functions for which the postsingular set is a compact subset of the Fatou set. Equivalently, they are characterized as being expanding. Mihaljević-Brandt studied a more general class of maps for which finitely many of their postsingular points can be in their Julia set, and showed that these maps are also expanding with respect to a certain orbifold metric. In this paper we generalize these ideas further, and consider a class of maps for which the postsingular set is not even bounded. We are able to prove that these maps are also expanding with respect to a suitable orbifold metric, and use this expansion to draw conclusions on the topology and dynamics of the maps. In particular, we generalize existing results for hyperbolic functions, giving criteria for the boundedness of Fatou components and local connectivity of Julia sets. As part of this study, we develop some novel results on hyperbolic orbifold metrics. These are of independent interest, and may have future applications in holomorphic dynamics.

COMBINATORIAL STRUCTURE OF THE PARAMETER PLANE OF THE FAMILY λ tan z2

In this article we will discuss combinatorial structure of the parameter plane of the family $ \mathcal F = \{ \lambda \tan z^2: \lambda \in \mathbb C^*, \ z \in \mathbb C\}.$ The parameter space contains components where the dynamics are conjugate on their Julia sets. The complement of these components is the bifurcation locus. These are the hyperbolic components where the post-singular set is disjoint from the Julia set. We prove that all hyperbolic components are bounded except the four components of period one and they are all simply connected.

A landing theorem for entire functions with bounded post-singular sets

The Douady-Hubbard landing theorem for periodic external rays is one of the cornerstones of the study of polynomial dynamics. It states that, for a complex polynomial f with bounded postcritical set, every periodic external ray lands at a repelling or parabolic periodic point, and conversely every repelling or parabolic point is the landing point of at least one periodic external ray. We prove an analogue of this theorem for an entire function f with bounded postsingular set. If f has finite order of growth, then it is known that the escaping set I(f) contains certain curves called periodic hairs; we show that every periodic hair lands at a repelling or parabolic periodic point, and conversely every repelling or parabolic periodic point is the landing point of at least one periodic hair. For a postsingularly bounded entire function f of infinite order, such hairs may not exist. Therefore we introduce certain dynamically natural connected subsets of I(f), called dreadlocks. We show that every periodic dreadlock lands at a repelling or parabolic periodic point, and conversely every repelling or parabolic periodic point is the landing point of at least one periodic dreadlock. More generally, we prove that every point of a hyperbolic set is the landing point of a dreadlock.

Prescribing the postsingular dynamics of meromorphic functions

We show that any dynamics on any discrete planar sequence S can be realized by the postsingular dynamics of some transcendental meromorphic function, provided we allow for small perturbations of S. This work is motivated by an analogous result of DeMarco et al. (Mathematische Annalen, 2018) for finite S in the rational setting. The proof contains a method for constructing meromorphic functions with good control over both the postsingular set of f and the geometry of f, using the Folding Theorem of Bishop (Acta Math 214(1):1–60, 2015) and a classical fixpoint theorem (Tychonoff in Math Ann 111(1):767–776, 1935).

Fatou components and singularities of meromorphic functions

AbstractWe prove several results concerning the relative position of points in the postsingular set P(f) of a meromorphic map f and the boundary of a Baker domain or the successive iterates of a wandering component. For Baker domains we answer a question of Mihaljević-Brandt and Rempe-Gillen. For wandering domains we show that if the iterates Un of such a domain have uniformly bounded diameter, then there exists a sequence of postsingular values pn such that ${\rm dist} (p_n, U_n)\to 0$ as $n\to \infty $. We also prove that if $U_n \cap P(f)=\emptyset $ and the postsingular set of f lies at a positive distance from the Julia set (in ℂ), then the sequence of iterates of any wandering domain must contain arbitrarily large disks. This allows to exclude the existence of wandering domains for some meromorphic maps with infinitely many poles and unbounded set of singular values.

About Rays, Dreadlocks and Periodic Points in Transcendental Dynamics

We study some aspects of the iteration of an entire map f over the complex plane ℂ. In many settings in complex dynamics one can define periodic curves (called dynamic rays) in the dynamical plane and study their relation with periodic points. The most famous example of this kind of results is the Douady-Hubbard landing theorem for polynomial dynamics. We describe an analogous statements for transcendental maps which satisfy some growth conditions and a further generalization to general transcendental maps with bounded postsingular set, without any growth assumption. We also describe some implications for rigidity. The results described here are from a joint work with Lasse Rempe-Gillen.

Hyperbolic entire functions and the Eremenko\u2013Lyubich class: Class mathcal {B} or not class mathcal {B}?

Hyperbolicity plays an important role in the study of dynamical systems, and is a key concept in the iteration of rational functions of one complex variable. Hyperbolic systems have also been considered in the study of transcendental entire functions. There does not appear to be an agreed definition of the concept in this context, due to complications arising from the non-compactness of the phase space. In this article, we consider a natural definition of hyperbolicity that requires expanding properties on the preimage of a punctured neighbourhood of the isolated singularity. We show that this definition is equivalent to another commonly used one: a transcendental entire function is hyperbolic if and only if its postsingular set is a compact subset of the Fatou set. This leads us to propose that this notion should be used as the general definition of hyperbolicity in the context of entire functions, and, in particular, that speaking about hyperbolicity makes sense only within the Eremenko–Lyubich classmathcal {B} of transcendental entire functions with a bounded set of singular values. We also considerably strengthen a recent characterisation of the class mathcal {B}, by showing that functions outside of this class cannot be expanding with respect to a metric whose density decays at most polynomially. In particular, this implies that no transcendental entire function can be expanding with respect to the spherical metric. Finally we give a characterisation of an analogous class of functions analytic in a hyperbolic domain.

Expansivity properties and rigidity for non-recurrent exponential maps

We show that an exponential map fc(z) = ez + c whose singular value c is combinatorially non-recurrent and non-escaping is uniquely determined by its combinatorics, i.e. the pattern in which its periodic dynamic rays land together. We do this by constructing puzzles and parapuzzles in the exponential family. We also prove that f is expanding on the postsingular set with respect to the Euclidean metric in the case that the singular value is non-recurrent. Finally, we show that boundedness of the postsingular set implies combinatorial non-recurrence if c is in the Julia set.

Perturbing Misiurewicz Parameters in the Exponential Family

In one-dimensional real and complex dynamics, a map whose post-singular (or post-critical) set is bounded and uniformly repelling is often called a Misiurewicz map. In results hitherto, perturbing a Misiurewicz map is likely to give a non-hyperbolic map, as per Jakobson's Theorem for unimodal interval maps. This is despite genericity of hyperbolic parameters (at least in the interval setting). We show the contrary holds in the complex exponential family $z \mapsto \lambda \exp(z)$: Misiurewicz maps are Lebesgue density points for hyperbolic parameters. As a by-product, we also show that Lyapunov exponents almost never exist for exponential Misiurewicz maps. The lower Lyapunov exponent is negative infinity almost everywhere. The upper Lyapunov exponent is non-negative and depends on the choice of metric.

A landing theorem for periodic dynamic rays for transcendental entire maps with bounded post-singular set

In this article, we present a landing theorem for periodic dynamic rays for transcendental entire maps which have bounded post-singular sets, by using standard hyperbolic geometry results.

Absence of wandering domains for some real entire functions with bounded singular sets

Let f be a real entire function whose set S(f) of singular values is real and bounded. We show that, if f satisfies a certain function-theoretic condition (the "sector condition"), then $f$ has no wandering domains. Our result includes all maps of the form f(z)=\lambda sinh(z)/z + a, where a is a real constant and {\lambda} is positive. We also show the absence of wandering domains for certain non-real entire functions for which S(f) is bounded and the iterates of f tend to infinity uniformly on S(f). As a special case of our theorem, we give a short, elementary and non-technical proof that the Julia set of the complex exponential map f(z)=e^z is the entire complex plane. Furthermore, we apply similar methods to extend a result of Bergweiler, concerning Baker domains of entire functions and their relation to the postsingular set, to the case of meromorphic functions.

Semiconjugacies, pinched Cantor bouquets and hyperbolic orbifolds

Let f be a transcendental entire map that is subhyperbolic, i.e., the intersection of the Fatou set F(f) and the postsingular set P(f) is compact and the intersection of the Julia set J(f) and P(f) is finite. Assume that no asymptotic value of f belongs to J(f) and that the local degree of f at all points in J(f) is bounded by some finite constant. We prove that there is a hyperbolic map g (of the form g(z)=f(bz) for some complex number b) with connected Fatou set such that f and g are semiconjugate on their Julia sets. Furthermore, we show that this semiconjugacy is a conjugacy when restricted to the escaping set I(g) of g. In the case where f can be written as a finite composition of maps of finite order, our theorem, together with recent results on Julia sets of hyperbolic maps, implies that J(f) is a pinched Cantor bouquet, consisting of dynamic rays and their endpoints. Our result also seems to give the first complete description of topological dynamics of an entire transcendental map whose Julia set is the whole complex plane.

Bowen’s formula for meromorphic functions

AbstractLet f be an arbitrary transcendental entire or meromorphic function in the class 𝒮 (i.e. with finitely many singularities). We show that the topological pressure P(f,t) for t>0 can be defined as the common value of the pressures P(f,t,z) for all z∈ℂ up to a set of Hausdorff dimension zero. Moreover, we prove that P(f,t) equals the supremum of the pressures of f∣X over all invariant hyperbolic subsets X of the Julia set, and we prove Bowen’s formula for f, i.e. we show that the Hausdorff dimension of the radial Julia set of f is equal to the infimum of the set of t, for which P(f,t) is non-positive. Similar results hold for (non-exceptional) transcendental entire or meromorphic functions f in the class ℬ (i.e. with a bounded set of singularities), for which the closure of the post-singular set does not contain the Julia set.

Absence of line fields and Mañé’s theorem for nonrecurrent transcendental functions

Let f be a transcendental meromorphic function. Suppose that the finite part of the postsingular set of f is bounded, that f has no recurrent critical points or wandering domains, and that the degree of pre-poles of f is uniformly bounded. Then we show that f supports no invariant line fields on its Julia set. We prove this by generalizing two results about rational functions to the transcendental setting: a theorem of Mane about the branching of iterated preimages of disks, and a theorem of McMullen regarding absence of invariant line fields for "measurably transitive" functions. Both our theorems extend results previously obtained by Graczyk, Kotus and Swiatek.

Nice sets and invariant densities in complex dynamics

AbstractIn complex dynamics, we construct a so-called nice set (one for which the first return map is Markov) around any point which is in the Julia set but not in the post-singular set, adapting a construction of Rivera–Letelier. This simplifies the study of absolutely continuous invariant measures. We prove a converse to a recent theorem of Kotus and Świątek, so for a certain class of meromorphic maps the absolutely continuous invariant measure is finite if and only if an integrability condition is satisfied.

A landing theorem for dynamic rays of geometrically finite entire functions

A transcendental entire function f is called geometrically finite if the intersection of the set of singular values with the Fatou set is compact and the intersection of the postsingular set with the Julia set is finite. (In particular, this includes all entire functions with finite postsingular set.) If f is geometrically finite, then the Fatou set of f is either empty or consists of the basins of attraction of finitely many attracting or parabolic cycles. Let z_0 be a repelling or parabolic periodic point of such a map f. We show that, if f has finite order, then there exists an injective curve consisting of escaping points of f that connects z_0 to infinity. (This curve is called a dynamic ray.) In fact, the assumption of finite order can be weakened considerably; for example, it is sufficient to assume that f can be written as a finite composition of finite-order functions.

On a question of Eremenko concerning escaping components of entire functions

Let f be an entire function with a bounded set of singular values, and suppose furthermore that the postsingular set of f is bounded. We show that every component of the escaping set I(f) is unbounded. This provides a partial answer to a question of Eremenko.