A numerical study of rigidity of hyperbolic splittings in simple two-dimensional maps

Chaotic hyperbolic dynamical systems enjoy a surprising degree of rigidity, a fact which is well known in the mathematics community but perhaps less so in theoretical physics circles. Low-dimensional hyperbolic systems are either conjugate to linear automorphisms, that is, dynamically equivalent to the Arnold cat map and its variants, or their hyperbolic structure is not smooth. We illustrate this dichotomy using a family of analytic maps, for which we show by means of numerical simulations that the corresponding hyperbolic structure is not smooth, thereby providing an example for a global mechanism which produces non-smooth phase space structures in an otherwise smooth dynamical system

Dynamic mode decomposition for analytic maps

Extended dynamic mode decomposition (EDMD) provides a class of algorithms to identify patterns and effective degrees of freedom in complex dynamical systems. We show that the modes identified by EDMD correspond to those of compact Perron-Frobenius and Koopman operators defined on suitable Hardy-Hilbert spaces when the method is applied to classes of analytic maps. Our findings elucidate the interpretation of the spectra obtained by EDMD for complex dynamical systems. We illustrate our results by numerical simulations for analytic maps.Comment: 14 pages. 3 figure

Anomalous dynamics in symmetric triangular irrational billiards

We identify a symmetry induced mechanism which dominates the long time behaviour in symmetric triangular billiards. We rigorously prove the existence of invariant sets in symmetric irrational billiards on which the dynamics is governed by an interval exchange transformation. Counterintuitively, this property of symmetric irrational billiards is analogous to the case of general rational billiards, and it highlights the non-trivial impact of symmetries in non-hyperbolic dynamical systems. Our findings provide an explanation for the logarithmic subdiffusive relaxation processes observed in certain triangular billiards. In addition we are able to settle a long standing conjecture about the existence of non-periodic and not everywhere dense trajectories in triangular billiards

Transfer operator approach to ray-tracing in circular domains

The computation of wave-energy distributions in the mid-to-high frequency regime can be reduced to ray-tracing calculations. Solving the ray-tracing problem in terms of an operator equation for the energy density leads to an inhomogeneous equation which involves a Perron–Frobenius operator defined on a suitable Sobolev space. Even for fairly simple geometries, let alone realistic scenarios such as typical boundary value problems in room acoustics or for mechanical vibrations, numerical approximations are necessary. Here we study the convergence of approximation schemes by rigorous methods. For circular billiards we prove that convergence of finite-rank approximations using a Fourier basis follows a power law where the power depends on the smoothness of the source distribution driving the system. The relevance of our studies for more general geometries is illustrated by numerical examples

Complete spectral data for analytic Anosov maps of the torus

Using analytic properties of Blaschke factors we construct a family of analytic hyperbolic diffeomorphisms of the torus for which the spectral properties of the associated transfer operator acting on a suitable Hilbert space can be computed explicitly. As a result, we obtain explicit expressions for the decay of correlations of analytic observables without resorting to any kind of perturbation argument.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

Resonances in a chaotic attractor crisis of the Lorenz Flow

Local bifurcations of stationary points and limit cycles have successfully been characterized in terms of the critical exponents of these solutions. Lyapunov exponents and their associated covariant Lyapunov vectors have been proposed as tools for supporting the understanding of critical transitions in chaotic dynamical systems. However, it is in general not clear how the statistical properties of dynamical systems change across a boundary crisis during which a chaotic attractor collides with a saddle. This behavior is investigated here for a boundary crisis in the Lorenz flow, for which neither the Lyapunov exponents nor the covariant Lyapunov vectors provide a criterion for the crisis. Instead, the convergence of the time evolution of probability densities to the invariant measure, governed by the semigroup of transfer operators, is expected to slow down at the approach of the crisis. Such convergence is described by the eigenvalues of the generator of this semigroup, which can be divided into two families, referred to as the stable and unstable Ruelle--Pollicott resonances, respectively. The former describes the convergence of densities to the attractor (or escape from a repeller) and is estimated from many short time series sampling the state space. The latter is responsible for the decay of correlations, or mixing, and can be estimated from a long times series, invoking ergodicity. It is found numerically for the Lorenz flow that the stable resonances do approach the imaginary axis during the crisis, as is indicative of the loss of global stability of the attractor. On the other hand, the unstable resonances, and a fortiori the decay of correlations, do not flag the proximity of the crisis, thus questioning the usual design of early warning indicators of boundary crises of chaotic attractors and the applicability of response theory close to such crises

Impact of symmetry on ergodic properties of triangular billiards

Polygonal billiards constitute some of the simplest yet counterintuitive dynamical systems in physics. Even basic features of the dynamics, such as ergodicity of the microcanonical distribution or the decay of correlations have not been settled in general. In this Letter, we will highlight the importance of symmetries of the billiard table for the resulting dynamics. Although typical triangular billiards appear to show correlation decay, symmetric billiards may not even be ergodic with respect to the uniform distribution in phase space

Ray-Tracing the Ulam Way

Ray-tracing is a well established approach for modelling wave propagation at high frequencies, in which the ray trajectories are defined by a Hamiltonian system of ODEs. An approximation of the wave amplitude is then derived from estimating the density of rays in the neighbourhood of a given evaluation point. An alternative approach is to formulate the ray-tracing model directly in terms of the ray density in phase-space using the Liouville equation. The solutions may then be expressed in integral form using the Frobenius-Perron (F-P) operator, which is a transfer operator transporting the ray density along the trajectories. The classical approach for discretising such operators dates back to 1960 and the work of Stanislaw Ulam. The convergence of the Ulam method has been established in some cases, typically in low dimensional settings with continuous densities and hyperbolic dynamics. In this chapter, we outline some recent work investigating the convergence of the Ulam method for ray tracing in triangular billiards, where the dynamics are parabolic and the flow map contains jump discontinuities