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Hanfeng Li

Publications and source records attributed to Hanfeng Li.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

On the denseness of distal points

We give an answer to a question of Xu and Ye (Disjointness with all minimal systems under group actions, to appear in Israel J. Math., arxiv:2212.07830) on the denseness of distal points in the Bernoulli shift $2^G$ for a countable discrete group $G$. For a related but stronger notion of almost automorphic points, we answer the similar question by showing that the corresponding collection of the groups coincides with maximal almost periodic ones. These characterizations allow us to construct 2-step nilpotent groups for which the answers to the Xu-Ye question differ. In search for an intrinsic answer to the Xu-Ye question, we introduce a notion of point-distal radical for a countable discrete group and show that a necessary condition is for the point-distal radical to be trivial. Finally, we consider some related questions, and show that the collection of all countable groups $G$ for which the set of distal points is dense in $2^G$ is closed under finite-index extension, and that the collection of countable groups $G$ for which the constant sequences are the only distal (almost automorphic) points coincides with the minimally almost periodic ones.

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arXiv2025

Local entropy theory, combinatorics, and local theory of Banach spaces

Each continuous action of a countably infinite discrete group $\Gamma$ on a compact metrizable space X induces a continuous action of $\Gamma$ on the space M(X) of Borel probability measures on X. We compare the local entropy theory for these two actions, and describe the relation between their IE-tuples. Several other types of tuples are also studied. Our main tool is a new combinatorial lemma. We also give an application of the combinatorial lemma to the local theory of Banach spaces.

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arXiv2025

Restricted Permutations and Permanents of Infinite Amenable Groups

Let $\Gamma $ be an infinite discrete group and $\mathsf{A}\subset \Gamma $ a nonempty finite subset. The set of permutations $\sigma $ of $\Gamma $ such that $s^{-1}\sigma (s)\in \mathsf{A}$ for every $s\in \Gamma $ can be identified with a shift of finite type $X_\mathsf{A}\subset \mathsf{A}^{\Gamma}$ over $\Gamma $. In this paper we study dynamical properties of such shift spaces, like invariant probability measures, topological entropy, and topological pressure, under the hypothesis that $\Gamma $ is amenable. In this case the topological entropy $\textrm{h}_{\textrm{top}}(X_\mathsf{A})$ can be expressed as logarithmic growth rate of permanents of certain finite (0,1)-matrices associated with right F{\o}lner sequences in $\Gamma $. Motivated by the difficulty of computing such permanents we introduce the notion of the permanent $\textrm{per}(f)$ for nonnegative elements $f$ in the real group ring $\mathbb{R}\Gamma $ of $\Gamma $ whose support is the alphabet $\mathsf{A}$ of the shift space $X_\mathsf{A}$, and compare, for arbitrary $f \in \mathbb{R}\Gamma $, the Fuglede-Kadison determinant $\textrm{det} _\textrm{FK}(f)$ with the permanent $\textrm{per}(|f|)$ of the absolute value $|f|$ of $f$. Although this approach is effective in only few examples, discussed below, it is interesting from a conceptual point of view that the permanent $\textrm{per}(f)$ of a nonnegative element $f\in \mathbb{R}\Gamma $ can be viewed as topological pressure of the restricted-permutation shift space $X_\mathsf{A}$ associated with the function $\log f$ on the alphabet $\mathsf{A}=\textrm{supp}(f)$ of $X_\mathsf{A}$.

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arXiv2024

Global Regulation of Feedforward Nonlinear Systems: A Logic-Based Switching Gain Approach

In this article, we investigate the global regulation problem for a class of feedforward nonlinear systems. Notably, the systems under consideration allow unknown input-output-dependent nonlinear growth rates, which has not been considered in existing works. A novel logic-based switching (LBS) gain approach is proposed to counteract system uncertainties and nonlinearities. Furthermore, a tanh-type speed-regulation function is embedded into the switching mechanism for the first time to improve the convergence speed and transient performance. Then, a switching adaptive output feedback (SAOF) controller is proposed based on the developed switching mechanism, which is of a concise form and low-complexity characteristic. It is shown that the objective of global regulation is achieved with faster convergence speed and better transient performance under the proposed controller. Moreover, by strengthening the switching mechanism, the improved control approach can deal with feedforward nonlinear systems with external disturbances. Finally, representative examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of our approach in comparison with the existing approaches.

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arXiv2024

The small boundary property in products

For a continuous action $G\curvearrowright X$ of a countable group on a compact metrizable space we show that the following are equivalent: (i) the action $G\curvearrowright X$ has the small boundary property and no finite orbits, (ii) for every continuous action $H\curvearrowright Y$ of a countable group on a compact metrizable space, the product action $G\times H\curvearrowright X\times Y$ has the small boundary property. In particular, (ii) is automatic when $G$ is infinite and the action $G\curvearrowright X$ is minimal and has the small boundary property. The argument relies on a small boundary version of the Urysohn lemma.

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arXiv2024

Local entropy theory and applications

This paper is a survey about recent developments in the local entropy theory for topological dynamical systems and continuous group actions, with particular emphasis on the connections with other areas of dynamical systems and mathematics.

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arXiv2022

Entropy, virtual Abelianness, and Shannon orbit equivalence

We prove that if two free p.m.p. $\mathbb{Z}$-actions are Shannon orbit equivalent then they have the same entropy. The argument also applies more generally to yield the same conclusion for free p.m.p. actions of finitely generated virtually Abelian groups. Together with the isomorphism theorems of Ornstein and Ornstein-Weiss and the entropy invariance results of Austin and Kerr-Li in the non-virtually-cyclic setting, this shows that two Bernoulli actions of any non-locally-finite countably infinite amenable group are Shannon orbit equivalent if and only if they are measure conjugate. We also show, at the opposite end of the stochastic spectrum, that every $\mathbb{Z}$-odometer is Shannon orbit equivalent to the universal $\mathbb{Z}$-odometer.

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arXiv2022

Malcolmson semigroups

Inspired by the construction of the Cuntz semigroup for a C*-algebra, we introduce the matrix Malcolmson semigroup and the finitely presented module Malcolmson semigroup for a unital ring. These two semigroups are shown to have isomorphic Grothendieck group in general and be isomorphic for von Neumann regular rings. For unital C*-algebras, it is shown that the matrix Malcolmson semigroup has a natural surjective order-preserving homomorphism to the Cuntz semigroup, every dimension function is a Sylvester matrix rank function, and there exist Sylvester matrix rank functions which are not dimension functions.

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arXiv2021

Expansive actions with specification of sofic groups, strong topological Markov property, and surjunctivity

A dynamical system is a pair $(X,G)$, where $X$ is a compact metrizable space and $G$ is a countable group acting by homeomorphisms of $X$. An endomorphism of $(X,G)$ is a continuous selfmap of $X$ which commutes with the action of $G$. One says that a dynamical system $(X,G)$ is surjunctive provided that every injective endomorphism of $(X,G)$ is surjective (and therefore is a homeomorphism). We show that when $G$ is sofic, every expansive dynamical system $(X,G)$ with nonnegative sofic topological entropy and satisfying the weak specification and the strong topological Markov properties, is surjunctive.

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arXiv2020

Sylvester rank functions for amenable normal extensions

We introduce a notion of amenable normal extension S of a unital ring R with a finite approximation system F, encompassing the amenable algebras over a field of Gromov and Elek, the twisted crossed product by an amenable group, and the tensor product with a field extension. It is shown that every Sylvester matrix rank function rk of R preserved by S has a canonical extension to a Sylvester matrix rank function rk_F for S. In the case of twisted crossed product by an amenable group, and the tensor product with a field extension, it is also shown that rk_F depends on rk continuously. When an amenable group has a twisted action on a unital C*-algebra preserving a tracial state, we also show that two natural Sylvester matrix rank functions on the algebraic twisted crossed product constructed out of the tracial state coincide.

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arXiv2020

Entropy, products, and bounded orbit equivalence

We prove that if two topologically free and entropy regular actions of countable sofic groups on compact metrizable spaces are continuously orbit equivalent, and each group either (i) contains a w-normal amenable subgroup which is neither locally finite nor virtually cyclic, or (ii) is a non-locally-finite product of two infinite groups, then the actions have the same sofic topological entropy. This fact is then used to show that if two free uniquely ergodic and entropy regular probability-measure-preserving actions of such groups are boundedly orbit equivalent then the actions have the same sofic measure entropy. Our arguments are based on a relativization of property SC to sofic approximations and yield more general entropy inequalities.

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arXiv2019

Entropy, Shannon orbit equivalence, and sparse connectivity

We say that two free probability-measure-preserving actions of countable groups are Shannon orbit equivalent if there is an orbit equivalence between them whose associated cocycle partitions have finite Shannon entropy. We show that if the acting groups are sofic and each has a w-normal amenable subgroup which is neither locally finite nor virtually cyclic then Shannon orbit equivalence implies that the actions have the same maximum sofic entropy. This extends a result of Austin beyond the finitely generated amenable setting and has the consequence that two Bernoulli actions of a group with the properties in question are Shannon orbit equivalent if and only if they are measure conjugate. Our arguments apply more generally to actions satisfying a sparse connectivity condition which we call property SC, and yield an entropy inequality under the assumption that one of the actions has this property.

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arXiv2019

Markovian properties of continuous group actions: algebraic actions, entropy and the homoclinic group

We provide a unifying approach which links results on algebraic actions by Lind and Schmidt, Chung and Li, and a topological result by Meyerovitch that relates entropy to the set of asymptotic pairs. In order to do this we introduce a series of Markovian properties and, under the assumption that they are satisfied, we prove several results that relate topological entropy and asymptotic pairs (the homoclinic group in the algebraic case). As new applications of our method, we give a characterization of the homoclinic group of any finitely presented expansive algebraic action of (1) any elementary amenable group with an upper bound on the orders of finite subgroups or (2) any left orderable amenable group, using the language of independence entropy pairs.

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arXiv2019

Bivariant and extended Sylvester rank functions

For a unital ring R, a Sylvester rank function is a numerical invariant which can be described in 3 equivalent ways: on finitely presented left R-modules, or on rectangular matrices over R, or on maps between finitely generated projective left R-modules. We extend each Sylvester rank function to all pairs of left R-modules $M_1\subseteq M_2$, and to all maps between left R-modules satisfying suitable properties including continuity and additivity. As an application, we show that for any epimorphism $R\rightarrow S$ of unital rings, the pull-back map from the set of Sylvester rank functions of S to that of R is injective. We also give a new proof of Schofield's result describing the image of this map when S is the universal localization of R inverting a set of maps between finitely generated projective left R-modules.

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arXiv2019

Combinatorial independence and naive entropy

We study the independence density for finite families of finite tuples of sets for continuous actions of discrete groups on compact metrizable spaces. We use it to show that actions with positive naive entropy are Li-Yorke chaotic and untame. In particular, distal actions have zero naive entropy. This answers a question of Lewis Bowen.

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