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Péter Bálint

Publications and source records attributed to Péter Bálint.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

ACIM instability of piecewise expanding maps through the lens of metastability

Motivated by Keller's W-shaped maps and its variants, we introduce a general class of families of expanding maps such that the perturbed maps have a shrinking almost invariant neighborhood about a fixed point of the limit map. The unique absolutely continuous invariant measures (ACIM) of the perturbed maps can converge to limit measures of various types. A local quantity is identified which determines if the limit is absolutely continuous, singular, or a non-trivial convex combination of these. Furthermore, for the case of a nontrivial convex combination, we prove that the dynamics of the perturbed system, when viewed on an appropriate slow time scale, converges to a jump Markov process, a convergence that extends to the diffusion coefficients for observables of bounded variation. Compared to analogous results on expanding maps with metastable behavior, a new feature of our setting is the emergence of a localized state of the Markov process which corresponds to the shrinking almost invariant interval about the fixed point. Our approach provides a general framework which, in particular, accommodates, to the best of our knowledge, all previously studied families that limit to Keller's W-shaped map.

math.DS↗
arXiv2025

Improved estimates of statistical properties in some non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamical systems

Building upon previous works by Young, Chernov-Zhang and Bruin-Melbourne-Terhesiu, we present a general scheme to improve bounds on the statistical properties (in particular, decay of correlations, and rates in the almost sure invariant principle) for a class of non-uniformly hyperbolic dynamical systems. Specifically, for systems with polynomial, yet summable mixing rates, our method removes logarithmic factors of earlier arguments, resulting in essentially optimal bounds. Applications include Wojtkowski's system of two falling balls, dispersing billiards with flat points and Bunimovich's flower-shaped billiard tables.

math.DS↗
arXiv2023

Lorentz gas with small scatterers

We prove limit laws for infinite horizon planar periodic Lorentz gases when, as time $n$ tends to infinity, the scatterer size $ρ$ may also tend to zero simultaneously at a sufficiently slow pace. In particular we obtain a non-standard Central Limit Theorem as well as a Local Limit Theorem for the displacement function. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first results on an intermediate case between the two well-studied regimes with superdiffusive $\sqrt{n\log n}$ scaling (i) for fixed infinite horizon configurations -- letting first $n\to \infty$ and then $ρ\to 0$ -- studied e.g.~by Szász \& Varjú (2007) and (ii) Boltzmann-Grad type situations -- letting first $ρ\to 0$ and then $n \to \infty$ -- studied by Marklof \& Tóth (2016).

math.PR↗
arXiv2023

An evolution model for polygonal tessellations as models for crack networks and other natural patterns

We introduce and study a general framework for modeling the evolution of crack networks. The evolution steps are triggered by exponential clocks corresponding to local micro-events, and thus reflect the state of the pattern. In an appropriate simultaneous limit of pattern domain tending to infinity and time step tending to zero, a continuous time model, specifically a system of ODE is derived that describes the dynamics of averaged quantities. In comparison with the previous, discrete time model, studied recently by two of the present three authors, this approach has several advantages. In particular, the emergence of non-physical solutions characteristic to the discrete time model is ruled out in the relevant nonlinear version of the new model. We also comment on the possibilities of studying further types of pattern formation phenomena based on the introduced general framework.

math-ph↗
arXiv2020

What mathematical billiards teach us about statistical physics?

We survey applications of the theory of hyperbolic (and to a lesser extent non hyperbolic) billiards to some fundamental problems of statistical physics and their mathematically rigorous derivations in the framework of classical Hamiltonian systems.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2019

Marked Length Spectrum, homoclinic orbits and the geometry of open dispersing billiards

We consider billiards obtained by removing three strictly convex obstacles satisfying the non-eclipse condition on the plane. The restriction of the dynamics to the set of non-escaping orbits is conjugated to a subshift on three symbols that provides a natural labeling of all periodic orbits. We study the following inverse problem: does the Marked Length Spectrum (i.e., the set of lengths of periodic orbits together with their labeling), determine the geometry of the billiard table? We show that from the Marked Length Spectrum it is possible to recover the curvature at periodic points of period two, as well as the Lyapunov exponent of each periodic orbit.

math.DS↗
arXiv2018

Synchronization versus stability of the invariant distribution for a class of globally coupled maps

We study a class of globally coupled maps in the continuum limit, where the individual maps are expanding maps of the circle. The circle maps in question are such that the uncoupled system admits a unique absolutely continuous invariant measure (acim), which is furthermore mixing. Interaction arises in the form of diffusive coupling, which involves a function that is discontinuous on the circle. We show that for sufficiently small coupling strength the coupled map system admits a unique absolutely continuous invariant distribution, which depends on the coupling strength $\varepsilon$. Furthermore, the invariant density exponentially attracts all initial distributions considered in our framework. We also show that the dependence of the invariant density on the coupling strength $\varepsilon$ is Lipschitz continuous in the BV norm. When the coupling is sufficiently strong, the limit behavior of the system is more complex. We prove that a wide class of initial measures approach a point mass with support moving chaotically on the circle. This can be interpreted as synchronization in a chaotic state.

math.DS↗
arXiv2016

Mean-field coupling of identical expanding circle maps

Globally coupled doubling maps are studied in this paper. In this setting and for finitely many sites, two distinct bifurcation values of the coupling strength have been identified in the literature, corresponding to the emergence of contracting directions (\cite{koiller2010coupled}) and, specifically for $N=3$ sites, to the loss of ergodicity (\cite{fernandez2014breaking}). On the one hand, we reconsider these results and provide an interpretation of the observed dynamical phenomena in terms of the synchronization of the sites. On the other hand, we initiate a new point of view which focuses on the evolution of distributions and allows to incorporate the investigation of infinitely many sites. In particular we observe phenomena in the infinite system that is analogous to the limit states of the contracting regime of $N=3$ sites.

math.DS↗
arXiv2016

On the limiting Markov process of energy exchanges in a rarely interacting ball-piston gas

We analyse the process of energy exchanges generated by the elastic collisions between a point-particle, confined to a two-dimensional cell with convex boundaries, and a `piston', i.e. a line-segment, which moves back and forth along a one-dimensional interval partially intersecting the cell. This model can be considered as the elementary building block of a spatially extended high-dimensional billiard modeling heat transport in a class of hybrid materials exhibiting the kinetics of gases and spatial structure of solids. Using heuristic arguments and numerical analysis, we argue that, in a regime of rare interactions, the billiard process converges to a Markov jump process for the energy exchanges and obtain the expression of its generator.

math.DS↗
arXiv2015

The flow of two falling balls mixes rapidly

In this paper we study the system of two falling balls in continuous time. We modell the system by a suspension flow over a two dimensional, hyperbolic base map. By detailed analysis of the geometry of the system we identify special periodic points and show that the ratio of certain periods in continuous time is Diophantine for almost every value of the mass parameter in an interval. Using results of Melbourne (\cite{M}) and our previous achievements \cite{BBNV} we conclude that for these values of the parameter the flow mixes faster than any polynomial. Even though the calculations are presented for the specific physical system, the method is quite general and can be applied to other suspension flows, too.

math.DS↗
arXiv2010

Chaos and stability in a two-parameter family of convex billiard tables

We study, by numerical simulations and semi-rigorous arguments, a two-parameter family of convex, two-dimensional billiard tables, generalizing the one-parameter class of oval billiards of Benettin--Strelcyn [Phys. Rev. A 17, 773 (1978)]. We observe interesting dynamical phenomena when the billiard tables are continuously deformed from the integrable circular billiard to different versions of completely-chaotic stadia. In particular, we conjecture that a new class of ergodic billiard tables is obtained in certain regions of the two-dimensional parameter space, when the billiards are close to skewed stadia. We provide heuristic arguments supporting this conjecture, and give numerical confirmation using the powerful method of Lyapunov-weighted dynamics.

nlin.CD↗
arXiv2008

Decay of correlations and invariance principles for dispersing billiards with cusps, and related planar billiard flows

Following recent work of Chernov, Markarian, and Zhang, it is known that the billiard map for dispersing billiards with zero angle cusps has slow decay of correlations with rate 1/n. Since the collisions inside a cusp occur in quick succession, it is reasonable to expect a much faster decay rate in continuous time. In this paper we prove that the flow is rapid mixing: correlations decay faster than any polynomial rate. A consequence is that the flow admits strong statistical properties such as the almost sure invariance principle, even though the billiard map does not. The techniques in this paper yield new results for other standard examples in planar billiards, including Bunimovich flowers and stadia.

math.DS↗
arXiv2003

Ergodicity of two hard balls in integrable polygons

We prove the hyperbolicity, ergodicity and thus the Bernoulli property of two hard balls in one of the following four polygons: the square, the equilateral triangle, the $45-45-90^\circ$ triangle or the $30-60-90^\circ$ triangle.

math.DS↗