On the "Mandelbrot set" for a pair of linear maps and complex Bernoulli convolutions

We consider the "Mandelbrot set" $M$ for pairs of complex linear maps, introduced by Barnsley and Harrington in 1985 and studied by Bousch, Bandt and others. It is defined as the set of parameters $\lambda$ in the unit disk such that the attractor $A_\lambda$ of the IFS $\{\lambda z-1, \lambda z+1\}$ is connected. We show that a non-trivial portion of $M$ near the imaginary axis is contained in the closure of its interior (it is conjectured that all non-real points of $M$ are in the closure of the set of interior points of $M$). Next we turn to the attractors $A_\lambda$ themselves and to natural measures $\nu_\lambda$ supported on them. These measures are the complex analogs of much-studied infinite Bernoulli convolutions. Extending the results of Erd\"os and Garsia, we demonstrate how certain classes of complex algebraic integers give rise to singular and absolutely continuous measures $\nu_\lambda$. Next we investigate the Hausdorff dimension and measure of $A_\lambda$, for $\lambda$ in the set $M$, for Lebesgue-a.e. $\lambda$. We also obtain partial results on the absolute continuity of $\nu_\lambda$ for a.e. $\lambda$ of modulus greater than $\sqrt{1/2}$.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Convolutions of Cantor measures without resonance

Denote by $\mu_a$ the distribution of the random sum $(1-a) \sum_{j=0}^\infty \omega_j a^j$, where $P(\omega_j=0)=P(\omega_j=1)=1/2$ and all the choices are independent. For $0<a<1/2$, the measure $\mu_a$ is supported on $C_a$, the central Cantor set obtained by starting with the closed united interval, removing an open central interval of length $(1-2a)$, and iterating this process inductively on each of the remaining intervals. We investigate the convolutions $\mu_a * (\mu_b \circ S_\lambda^{-1})$, where $S_\lambda(x)=\lambda x$ is a rescaling map. We prove that if the ratio $\log b/\log a$ is irrational and $\lambda\neq 0$, then $$D(\mu_a *(\mu_b\circ S_\lambda^{-1})) = \min(\dim_H(C_a)+\dim_H(C_b),1),$$ where $D$ denotes any of correlation, Hausdorff or packing dimension of a measure. We also show that, perhaps surprisingly, for uncountably many values of $\lambda$ the convolution $\mu_{1/4} *(\mu_{1/3}\circ S_\lambda^{-1})$ is a singular measure, although $\dim_H(C_{1/4})+\dim_H(C_{1/3})>1$ and $\log (1/3) /\log (1/4)$ is irrational