Mathematics Problem Archive
Showing 1-34 of 34 problems
Conjugacy
v1.3 research notesIf two Birkhoff billiard maps $T_1$ and $T_2$ satisfy $T_1=ST_2S^{-1}$ for a homeomorphism $S$, must their tables be similar? Relatedly, can one hear ...
Periodic orbits
v1.3 research notes(a) Is the set of $n$-periodic orbits of a smooth strictly convex Birkhoff billiard nowhere dense for every $n$? (b) Does every polygonal Birkhoff bil...
Mañé's last theorem
v1.3 research notesIn the space of area-preserving $C^1$ diffeomorphisms of a compact manifold, is it generic that the dynamics is either hyperbolic or has zero Lyapunov...
Calogero–Moser–Vlasov
v1.3 research notesFor the infinite-dimensional Calogero–Moser system, in which particles on the real line interact through the inverse-square potential, does the dynami...
Order of mixing
v1.3 research notesLet $p$ be a prime for which $$f(u_1,u_2)=1+u_1u_2+u_1^2u_2+u_1^3u_2+u_1^4+u_2^2+u_1^4u_2^2$$ is irreducible, and consider the algebraic $\mathbb{Z}^2...
Entropy and Deligne periods
v1.3 research notesLet $\log_p:\mathbb{C}_p^*\to\mathbb{C}_p$ be the branch of the $p$-adic logarithm with $\log_p(p)=0$, and let $T_\lambda:x\mapsto\lambda x$ on $\math...
Pingree open problems — Ledrappier problem 1
v1.3 research notesLet $M$ be a compact Riemannian manifold of constant negative curvature and $(g_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ its geodesic flow. Does there exist a probability...
Factor maps between sofic shifts
v1.3 research notesFor sofic shifts $S,T$ with $h(S)\ge h(T)$, give necessary and sufficient conditions for a factor map from $S$ onto $T$. The most fundamental unequal-...
Beta functions
v1.3 research notesCharacterize the functions that occur as beta functions of mixing Markov shifts....
Expansive directions of two-dimensional SFTs
v1.3 research notesFor a $\mathbb Z^2$ shift of finite type $\alpha$, characterize the possible sets $E_1(\alpha)$ of expansive directions, especially under the assumpti...
Furstenberg times-p-times-q problem
v1.3 research notesFor multiplicatively independent integers $p,q>1$, can there exist a nonatomic Borel probability measure on the circle, other than Haar measure, that ...
Full-support invariant measures
v1.3 research notesFor the symbolic system $X$ constructed in Section 14 of the source from a commuting pair of full-shift endomorphisms, is Haar measure its only invari...
Classify group shifts
v1.3 research notesClassify group shifts up to topological conjugacy, especially abelian group shifts with completely positive entropy....
Decidability problems in symbolic dynamics
v1.3 research notesDetermine whether algorithms exist to: decide conjugacy of two SFTs; decide conjugacy of two two-sided or one-sided sofic shifts; compute the expansiv...
Embedding one-sided subshifts
v1.3 research notesLet $T$ be a mixing one-sided SFT and $S$ a subshift with $h(S)<h(T)$. Give useful necessary and sufficient conditions for $S$ to be isomorphic to a s...
Orbit equivalence and ordered cohomology
v1.3 research notesClassify irreducible SFTs up to topological orbit equivalence; characterize and classify their unital ordered cohomology groups; determine when windin...
Infinite symbolic-extension entropy
v1.3 research notesCan a $C^r$ diffeomorphism of a compact Riemannian manifold have infinite symbolic-extension entropy?...
Periodic points of cellular automata
v1.3 research notesMust every surjective $d$-dimensional cellular automaton have dense periodic points? Must its jointly spatially and temporally periodic points be dens...
Periodic and finite configurations
v1.3 research notesFor a $d$-dimensional cellular automaton with $d\ge2$, let $f_P$ and $f_F$ be its restrictions to spatially periodic and finite configurations. Does i...
Surjunctive groups
v1.3 research notesCharacterize the countable groups $G$ for which every injective $G$-equivariant cellular automaton on $A^G$, for every finite alphabet $A$, is surject...
Adler's renewal question
v1.3 research notesIs every irreducible sofic shift topologically conjugate to a renewal shift?...
Classify sofic shifts
v1.3 research notesClassify two-sided sofic shifts up to topological conjugacy....
Flow equivalence of subshifts
v1.3 research notesClassify subshifts up to flow equivalence....
Pisot substitution conjecture
v1.3 research notesProve that the substitutive shift of every irreducible Pisot substitution has pure discrete spectrum....
Nivat's conjecture
v1.3 research notesLet $x\in A^{\mathbb Z^2}$ and let $N_x(n_1,n_2)$ be the number of distinct $n_1\times n_2$ rectangular patterns in $x$. If $N_x(n_1,n_2)\le n_1n_2$ f...
Multiple ergodic averages — Problem 11
v1.3 research notesLet $(X,\mathcal X,\mu,T)$ be a system and $f, g, h\in L^\infty(\mu)$ be functions. Show that the averages $$ \frac{1}{N}\sum_{n=1}^N f(T^nx)\cdot g(T...
Banach's simple Lebesgue spectrum problem
v1.3 research notesDoes there exist an ergodic measure-preserving transformation whose Koopman operator has simple Lebesgue spectrum?...
Angle and renormalization at the golden-mean Siegel critical point
v1.3 research notesFor the quadratic Siegel polynomial with rotation angle $\theta_0=(\sqrt5-1)/2$, prove that the Siegel-disk boundary has the experimentally observed o...
Local connectivity of real quadratic Julia sets
v1.3 research notesFor every real $c\in[-2,1/4]$, is the Julia set of $f_c(z)=z^2+c$ locally connected?...
Infinite intersections of small Mandelbrot sets
v1.3 research notesDoes every nested intersection $\bigcap_k H_1*\cdots*H_k*M$ of tuned copies of the Mandelbrot set consist of one point? Equivalently, are infinitely r...
Bounded orbit of a wandering domain
v1.3 research notesDoes there exist an entire function with a wandering Fatou component whose orbit of components is bounded?...
Injectivity radius from the number of generators
v1.3 research notesIf a complete hyperbolic $3$-manifold $N$ has fundamental group generated by $n$ elements, is there a bound $R_n$, depending only on $n$, on the radiu...
Topology of hyperbolic attractors in dimension three
v1.3 research notesLet $A$ be a hyperbolic attractor of a diffeomorphism of a compact $3$-manifold. Beyond the known Anosov, laminated, Williams, and invariant-torus cas...
Effective computation of entropy for surface diffeomorphisms
v1.3 research notesGiven an explicitly specified smooth orientation-preserving diffeomorphism $F$ of the $2$-sphere, is its topological entropy Turing-computable to arbi...