Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Corinna Ulcigrai

Publications and source records attributed to Corinna Ulcigrai.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2017

A temporal Central Limit Theorem for real-valued cocycles over rotations

We consider deterministic random walks on the real line driven by irrational rotations, or equivalently, skew product extensions of a rotation by $α$ where the skewing cocycle is a piecewise constant mean zero function with a jump by one at a point $β$. When $α$ is badly approximable and $β$ is badly approximable with respect to $α$, we prove a Temporal Central Limit theorem (in the terminology recently introduced by D.Dolgopyat and O.Sarig), namely we show that for any fixed initial point, the occupancy random variables, suitably rescaled, converge to a Gaussian random variable. This result generalizes and extends a theorem by J. Beck for the special case when $α$ is quadratic irrational, $β$ is rational and the initial point is the origin, recently reproved and then generalized to cover any initial point using geometric renormalization arguments by Avila-Dolgopyat-Duryev-Sarig (Israel J., 2015) and Dolgopyat-Sarig (J. Stat. Physics, 2016). We also use renormalization, but in order to treat irrational values of $β$, instead of geometric arguments, we use the renormalization associated to the continued fraction algorithm and dynamical Ostrowski expansions. This yields a suitable symbolic coding framework which allows us to reduce the main result to a CLT for non homogeneous Markov chains.

math.DS↗
arXiv2016

The Lagrange spectrum of some square-tiled surfaces

Lagrange spectra have been defined for closed submanifolds of the moduli space of translation surfaces which are invariant under the action of SL(2,R). We consider the closed orbit generated by a specific covering of degree 7 of the standard torus, which is an element of the stratum H(2). We give an explicit formula for the values in the spectrum, in terms of a cocycle over the classical continued fraction. Differently from the classical case of the modular surface, where the lowest part of the Lagrange spectrum is discrete, we find an isolated minimum, and a set with a rich structure right above it.

math.DS↗
arXiv2015

The Lagrange spectrum of a Veech surface has a Hall ray

We study Lagrange spectra of Veech translation surfaces, which are a generalization of the classical Lagrange spectrum. We show that any such Lagrange spectrum contains a Hall ray. As a main tool, we use the boundary expansion developed by Bowen and Series to code geodesics in the corresponding Teichmüller disk and prove a formula which allows to express large values in the Lagrange spectrum as sums of Cantor sets.

math.DS↗
arXiv2015

Diagonal changes for surfaces in hyperelliptic components

We describe geometric algorithms that generalize the classical continued fraction algorithm for the torus to all translation surfaces in hyperelliptic components of translation surfaces. We show that these algorithms produce all saddle connections which are best approximations in a geometric sense, which generalizes the notion of best approximation for the classical continued fraction. In addition, they allow to list all systoles along a Teichmueller geodesic and all bispecial words which appear in the symbolic coding of linear flows. The elementary moves of the described algorithms provide a geometric invertible extension of the renormalization moves introduced by S. Ferenczi and L. Zamboni for the corresponding interval exchange transformations.

math.DS↗
arXiv2013

Lagrange Spectra in Teichmüller Dynamics via renormalization

We introduce Lagrange Spectra of closed-invariant loci for the action of SL(2,R) on the moduli space of translation surfaces, generalizing the classical Lagrange Spectrum, and we analyze them with renormalization techniques. A formula for the values in such spectra is established in terms of the Rauzy-Veech induction and it is used to show that any invariant locus has closed Lagrange spectrum and values corresponding to pseudo-Anosov elements are dense. Moreover we show that Lagrange spectra of arithmetic Teichmüller discs contain an Hall's ray, giving an explicit bound for it via a second formula which uses the classical continued fraction algorithm. In addition, we show the equivalence of several definitions of bounded Teichmüller geodesics and bounded type interval exchange transformations and we prove quantitative estimates on excursions to the boundary of moduli space in terms of norms of positive matrices in the Rauzy-Veech induction.

math.DS↗
arXiv2012

Ergodic directions for billiards in a strip with periodically located obstacles

We study the size of the set of ergodic directions for the directional billiard flows on the infinite band $\R\times [0,h]$ with periodically placed linear barriers of length $0<λ<h$. We prove that the set of ergodic directions is always uncountable. Moreover, if $λ/h\in(0,1)$ is rational the Hausdorff dimension of the set of ergodic directions is greater than 1/2. In both cases (rational and irrational) we construct explicitly some sets of ergodic directions.

math.DS↗
arXiv2012

Time-Changes of Horocycle Flows

We consider smooth time-changes of the classical horocycle flows on the unit tangent bundle of a compact hyperbolic surface and prove sharp bounds on the rate of equidistribution and the rate of mixing. We then derive results on the spectrum of smooth time-changes and show that the spectrum is absolutely continuous with respect to the Lebesgue measure on the real line and that the maximal spectral type is equivalent to Lebesgue.

math.DS↗
arXiv2011

Non-ergodic Z-periodic billiards and infinite translation surfaces

We give a criterion which allows to prove non-ergodicity for certain infinite periodic billiards and directional flows on Z-periodic translation surfaces. Our criterion applies in particular to a billiard in an infinite band with periodically spaced vertical barriers and to the Ehrenfest wind-tree model, which is a planar billiard with a $Z^2$-periodic array of rectangular obstacles. We prove that, in these two examples, both for a full measure set of parameters of the billiard tables and for tables with rational parameters, for almost every direction the corresponding billiard flow is not ergodic and has uncountably many ergodic components. As another application, we show that for any recurrent Z-cover of a square tiled surface of genus two the directional flow is not ergodic and has no invariant sets of finite measure for a full measure set of directions. In the language of essential values, we prove that the skew-products which arise as Poincare' maps of the above systems are associated to non-regular Z-valued cocycles for interval exchange transformations.

math.DS↗
arXiv2011

Ergodic properties of infinite extensions of area-preserving flows

We consider volume-preserving flows $(Φ^f_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ on $S\times \mathbb{R}$, where $S$ is a closed connected surface of genus $g\geq 2$ and $(Φ^f_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ has the form $Φ^f_t(x,y)=(ϕ_tx,y+\int_0^t f(ϕ_sx)ds)$, where $(ϕ_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ is a locally Hamiltonian flow of hyperbolic periodic type on $S$ and $f$ is a smooth real valued function on $S$. We investigate ergodic properties of these infinite measure-preserving flows and prove that if $f$ belongs to a space of finite codimension in $\mathscr{C}^{2+ε}(S)$, then the following dynamical dichotomy holds: if there is a fixed point of $(ϕ_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ on which $f$ does not vanish, then $(Φ^f_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ is ergodic, otherwise, if $f$ vanishes on all fixed points, it is reducible, i.e. isomorphic to the trivial extension $(Φ^0_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$. The proof of this result exploits the reduction of $(Φ^f_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ to a skew product automorphism over an interval exchange transformation of periodic type. If there is a fixed point of $(ϕ_t)_{t\in\mathbb{R}}$ on which $f$ does not vanish, the reduction yields cocycles with symmetric logarithmic singularities, for which we prove ergodicity.

math.DS↗
arXiv2010

Mixing for Time-Changes of Heisenberg Nilflows

We consider reparametrizations of Heisenberg nilflows. We show that if a Heisenberg nilflow is uniquely ergodic, all non-trivial time-changes within a dense subspace of smooth time-changes are mixing. Equivalently, in the language of special flows, we consider special flows over linear skew-shift extensions of irrational rotations of the circle. Without assuming any Diophantine condition on the frequency, we define a dense class of smooth roof functions for which the corresponding special flows are mixing. Mixing is produced by a mechanism known as stretching of Birkhoff sums. The complement of the set of mixing time-changes (or, equivalently, of mixing roof functions) has countable codimension and can be explicitely described in terms of the invariant distributions for the nilflow (or, equivalently, for the skew-shift), allowing to produce concrete examples of mixing time-changes.

math.DS↗
arXiv2010

Geodesic flow on the Teichmueller disk of the regular octagon, cutting sequences and octagon continued fractions maps

In this paper we give a geometric interpretation of the renormalization algorithm and of the continued fraction map that we introduced in arxiv:0905.0871 to give a characterization of symbolic sequences for linear flows in the regular octagon. We interpret this algorithm as renormalization on the Teichmueller disk of the octagon and explain the relation with Teichmueller geodesic flow. This connection is analogous to the classical relation between Sturmian sequences, continued fractions and geodesic flow on the modular surface. We use this connection to construct the natural extension and the invariant measure for the continued fraction map. We also define an acceleration of the continued fraction map which has a finite invariant measure.

math.DS↗
arXiv2009

Symbolic coding for linear trajectories in the regular octagon

We consider a symbolic coding of linear trajectories in the regular octagon with opposite sides identified (and more generally in regular 2n-gons). Each infinite trajectory gives a cutting sequence corresponding to the sequence of sides hit. We give an explicit characterization of these cutting sequences. The cutting sequences for the square are the well studied Sturmian sequences which can be analyzed in terms of the continued fraction expansion of the slope. We introduce an analogous continued fraction algorithm which we use to connect the cutting sequence of a trajectory with its slope. Our continued fraction expansion of the slope gives an explicit sequence of substitution operations which generate the cutting sequences of trajectories with that slope. Our algorithm can be understood in terms of renormalization of the octagon translation surface by elements of the Veech group.

math.DS↗
arXiv2009

Absence of mixing in area-preserving flows on surfaces

We prove that minimal area-preserving flows locally given by a smooth Hamiltonian on a closed surface of any genus are typically (in the measure-theoretical sense) not mixing. The result is obtained by considering special flows over interval exchange transformations under roof functions with symmetric logarithmic singularities and proving absence of mixing for a full measure set of interval exchange transformations.

math.DS↗
arXiv2008

A Limit Theorem for Birkoff sums of non-integrable functions over rotations

We consider Birkhoff sums of functions with a singularity of type 1/x over rotations and prove the following limit theorem. Let $S_N= S_N(α,x)$ be the N^th non-renormalized Birkhoff sum, where $x in [0,1)$ is the initial point, $α\in [0,1)$ is the rotation number and $(α, x)$ are uniformly distributed. We prove that $S_N/N$ has a joint limiting distribution in $(α,x)$ as N tends to infinity. As a corollary, we get the existence of a limiting distribution for certain trigonometric sums.

math.DS↗
arXiv2007

Renewal-type Limit Theorem for the Gauss Map and Continued Fractions

In this paper we prove the following renewal-type limit theorem. Given an irrational $α$ in (0,1) and R>0, let $q_{n_R}$ be the first denominator of the convergents of $α$ which exceeds R. The main result in the paper is that the ratio $q_{n_R}/R$ has a limiting distribution as R tends to infinity. The existence of the limiting distribution uses mixing of a special flow over the natural extension of the Gauss map.

math.DS↗