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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M01746X/1
Title: Rigidity and Small Divisors in Holomorphic Dynamics
Principal Investigator: Cheraghi, Dr D
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Mathematics
Organisation: Imperial College London
Scheme: EPSRC Fellowship
Starts: 01 May 2015 Ends: 31 October 2020 Value (£): 624,090
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Algebra & Geometry Mathematical Analysis
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
21 Jan 2015 EPSRC Mathematics Fellowship Interviews January 2015 Announced
26 Nov 2014 EPSRC Mathematics Prioritisation Panel November 2014 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
The simplest non-linear systems are driven by quadratic polynomials. That is, "time n" of a state is determined by a quadratic polynomial of "time n-1" of that state. However, despite over a century of intense study, the dynamical features of even quadratic formulae remain far from well understood. For example, complex quadratic polynomials with "small divisors", which may be used to model resonance phenomena, still exhibit mysterious behaviour in many cases.

There has been extensive research on the dynamics of quadratic polynomials over the last three decades. Often, sophisticated tools from different disciplines of mathematics are needed to describe the fine dynamical features of these maps. Usually, a set of such tools is introduced to study the dynamics of a type of quadratic maps, but leads to the successful study of non-linear systems of that type. Thus, an effective set of tools for the study of quadratic polynomials provide the basis of extensive research in the wider area of non-linear systems.

In this project, I develop a new set of tools from different disciplines of mathematics to provide a comprehensive description of the dynamics of certain types of quadratic polynomials. This develops effective techniques from analysis, geometry, and more sophisticated mathematical machinery such as renormalisation and Teichmuller theory.

I will achieve the following major goals.

(1) Small divisors:

A main goal of this research is to introduce a systematic approach to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of quadratic polynomials with small divisors. This provides the first examples of such systems with unstable behavior at the center of resonance, whose dynamical behaviour is completely understood.

The Julia set of a quadratic polynomial is the unstable locus of its dynamics. A recent remarkable result of X. Buff and A. Cheritat states that there are quadratic polynomials with small divisors which have observable (positive area) Julia sets. A central problem in the presence of small divisors is to determine arithmetic conditions on the rotation number that leads to observable Julia sets. The proposed research makes major advances on this problem.

(2) Rigidity and density of Hyperbolicity:

The quadratic polynomials that exhibit a certain well understood dynamical behaviour are called hyperbolic. There is a remarkable property, anticipated by P. Fatou in 1920's, stating that any quadratic polynomial may be perturbed to a nearby one with hyperbolic behaviour (by small changes in coefficients in an appropriate normalisation).

The project studies some deep analytic properties of a renormalisation technique to confirm this conjecture for certain types of quadratic polynomials (a Cantor set of parameters). This programme suggests a refined quantitative (in spirit of continued fractions) version of this conjecture to hold.

(3) Generalized Feigenbaum maps:

Period doubling bifurcation is a remarkable phenomenon that appears in the family of quadratic polynomials with real coefficients. There is a wide range of analogous, but more complicated, phenomena that occur when one considers quadratic polynomials with complex coefficients. This reflects the complicated structure of the Mandelbrot set. The dynamical features of such maps with real coefficients have been deeply studied in a period of intense research in 1980's and 90's, while the ones with complex coefficients are largely unexplored. The research proposal uses renormalisation techniques and develops innovative analytical methods to present a detailed description of the dynamics of such a map near degenerate bifurcations.

I will carry out some parts of this major project in collaboration with the leading experts of holomorphic dynamics: A. Avila (Rio, Brazil and Paris, France), X. Buff (Toulouse, France), A. Cheritat (Bordeaux, France), and M. Shishikura (Kyoto, Japan).
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Organisation Website: http://www.imperial.ac.uk