Let {f_t} be any algebraic family of rational maps of a fixed degree, with a marked critical point c(t). We first prove that the hypersurfaces of parameters for which c(t) is periodic converge as a sequence of positive closed (1,1) currents to the bifurcation current attached to c and defined by DeMarco. We then turn our attention to the parameter space of polynomials of a fixed degree d. By intersecting the d-1 currents attached to each critical point of a polynomial, Bassaneli and Berteloot obtained a positive measure of finite mass which is supported on the connectedness locus. They showed that its support is included in the closure of the set of parameters admitting d-1 neutral cycles. We show that the support of this measure is precisely the closure of the set of strictly critically finite polynomials (i.e. of Misiurewicz points).
We show that the set of conjugacy classes of cubic polynomials with a prefixed critical point, of preperiod $k\geq 1$, is an irreducible algebraic curve. We also establish an analogous result for quadratic rational maps. We then study a closely related question concerning the irreducibility (over $\mathbb Q$) of the set of conjugacy classes of unicritical polynomials, of degree $D\geq 2$, with a preperiodic critical point. Our proofs are purely algebraic.
Let $k$ be an algebraic closed field of characteristic zero. Let $K$ be the rational function field $K=k(t)$. Let $ϕ$ be a non isotrivial rational function in $K(z)$. We prove a bound for the cardinality of the set of $K$--rational preperiodic points for $ϕ$ in terms of the number of places of bad reduction and the degree $d$ of $ϕ$.
In this paper we study two questions related to exceptional behavior of preperiodic points of polynomials in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$. We show that for all $d\geq 2$, there exists a polynomial $f_d(x) \in \mathbb{Q}[x]$ with $2\leq \mathrm{deg}(f_d) \leq d$ such that $f_d(x)$ has at least $d + \lfloor \log_2(d)\rfloor$ rational preperiodic points. Furthermore, we show that for infinitely many integers $d$, the polynomials $f_d(x)$ and $f_d(x) + 1$ have at least $d^2 + d\lfloor \log_2(d)\rfloor - 2d + 1$ common complex preperiodic points.
For rational numbers $c$, we present a trichotomy of the set of totally real (totally $p$-adic, respectively) preperiodic points for maps in the quadratic unicritical family $f_c(x)=x^2+c$. As a consequence, we classify quadratic polynomials $f_c$ with rational parameters $c\in\mathbb{Q}$ so that $f_c$ has only finitely many totally real (totally $p$-adic, respectively) preperiodic points. These results rely on an adelic Fekete-type theorem and dynamics of the filled Julia set of $f_c$. Moreover, using a numerical criterion introduced in [NP], we make explicit calculations of the set of totall…
We classify the graphs that can occur as the graph of rational preperiodic points of a quadratic polynomial over $\bold Q$, assuming the conjecture that it is impossible to have rational points of period $4$ or higher. In particular, we show under this assumption that the number of preperiodic points is at most~$9$. Elliptic curves of small conductor and the genus~$2$ modular curves $X_1(13)$, $X_1(16)$, and $X_1(18)$ all arise as curves classifying quadratic polynomials with various combinations of preperiodic points. To complete the classification, we compute the rational points on a non-mod…
Let $ϕ$ be an endomorphism of the projective line defined over a global field $K$. We prove a bound for the cardinality of the set of $K$-rational preperiodic points for $ϕ$ in terms of the number of places of bad reduction. The result is completely new in the function fields case and it is an improvement of the number fields case. An important tool is an $S$-unit equation theorem in 2 variables.
Let $K$ be a number field. Given a polynomial $f(x)\in K[x]$ of degree $d\ge 2$, it is conjectured that the number of preperiodic points of $f$ is bounded by a uniform bound that depends only on $d$ and $[K:\mathbb Q]$. However, the only examples of parametric families of polynomials with no preperiodic points are known when $d$ is divisible by either $2$ or $3$ and $K=\mathbb Q$. In this article, given any integer $d\ge 2$, we display infinitely many parametric families of polynomials of the form $f_t(x)=x^d+c(t)$, $c(t)\in K(t)$, with no rational preperiodic points for any $t\in K$.
Let $X$ be a variety defined over a number field and $f$ be a dominant rational self-map of $X$ of infinite order. We show that $X$ admits many algebraic points which are not preperiodic under $f$. If $f$ were regular and polarized, this would follow immediately from the theory of canonical heights, but it does not work very well for rational self-maps. We provide an elementary proof following an argument by Bell, Ghioca and Tucker (arxiv:0808.3266).
Let X be a smooth curve defined over the algebraic numbers, let a,b be algebraic numbers, and let f_l(x) be an algebraic family of rational maps indexed by all l in X. We study whether there exist infinitely many l in X such that both a and b are preperiodic for f_l. In particular we show that if P,Q are polynomials over the algebraic numbers such that deg(P) >= 2+deg(Q), and there exists l such that a is periodic for P(x)/Q(x) + l, but b is not preperiodic for P(x)/Q(x) + l, then there exist at most finitely many l such that both a and b are preperiodic for P(x)/Q(x)+l. We also prove a simila…
The purpose of this note is give some evidence in support of conjectures of Poonen, and Morton and Silverman, on the periods of rational numbers under the iteration of quadratic polynomials. In particular, Poonen conjectured that there are at most 9 periodic points defined over the rational numbers for any map in the family x^2 + c for c rational. We verify this conjecture for c values up to height 10^8. For quadratic number fields, we provide evidence that the upper bound on the exact period of Q-rational periodic point is 6.
On the height boundedness of periodic and preperiodic points of dominant rational self-maps on projective varieties
Osaka Metropolitan University（大阪公立大学）；NTT Institute for Fundamental Mathematics, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT, Inc.（日本电信电话株式会社基础数学研究所、通信科学实验室）
Let K be a function field in one variable over an arbitrary field F. Given a rational function f(z) in K(z) of degree at least two, the associated canonical height on the projective line was defined by Call and Silverman. The preperiodic points of f all have canonical height zero; conversely, if F is a finite field, then every point of canonical height zero is preperiodic. However, if F is an infinite field, then there may be non-preperiodic points of canonical height zero. In this paper, we show that for polynomial f, such points exist only if f is isotrivial. In fact, such K-rational points …
Let $P\in\mathbb{P}_1(\mathbb{Q})$ be a periodic point for a monic polynomial with coefficients in $\mathbb{Z}$. With elementary techniques one sees that the minimal periodicity of $P$ is at most $2$. Recently we proved a generalization of this fact to the set of all rational functions defined over ${\mathbb{Q}}$ with good reduction everywhere (i.e. at any finite place of $\mathbb{Q}$). The set of monic polynomials with coefficients in $\mathbb{Z}$ can be characterized, up to conjugation by elements in PGL$_2({\mathbb{Z}})$, as the set of all rational functions defined over $\mathbb{Q}$ with a…
Given a rational map $ϕ: {\mathbb P}^1\to {\mathbb P}^1$ defined over a number field $K$, we prove a finiteness result for $ϕ$-preperiodic points which are $S$-integral with respect to a non-preperiodic point $P$, provided $P$ satisfies a certain local condition at each place. This verifies a special case of a conjecture of S. Ih.
Let $K$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, and let $\mathcal{K} := K(t)$ be the rational function field over $K$. For each $d \ge 2$, we consider the unicritical polynomial $f_d(z) := z^d + t \in \mathcal{K}[z]$, and we ask the following question: If we fix $α\in \mathcal{K}$ and integers $M \ge 0$, $N \ge 1$, and $d \ge 2$, does there exist a place $\mathfrak{p} \in \operatorname{Spec} K[t]$ such that, modulo $\mathfrak{p}$, the point $α$ enters into an $N$-cycle after precisely $M$ steps under iteration by $f_d$? We answer this question completely, concluding that the a…
Let $f \in Q(z)$ be a polynomial or rational function of degree 2. A special case of Morton and Silverman's Dynamical Uniform Boundedness Conjecture states that the number of rational preperiodic points of $f$ is bounded above by an absolute constant. A related conjecture of Silverman states that the canonical height $\hat{h}_f(x)$ of a non-preperiodic rational point $x$ is bounded below by a uniform multiple of the height of $f$ itself. We provide support for these conjectures by computing the set of preperiodic and small height rational points for a set of degree 2 maps far beyond the range …
Let $K$ be a number field and let $ϕ$ in $K(z)$ be a rational function of degree $d\geq 2$. Let $S$ be the places of bad reduction for $ϕ$ (including the archimedan places). Let $Per(ϕ,K)$, $PrePer(ϕ, K)$, and $Tail(ϕ,K)$ be the set of $K$-rational periodic, preperiodic, and purely preperiodic points of $ϕ$, respectively. The present paper presents two main results. The first result gives a bound for $|PrePer(ϕ,K)|$ in terms of the number of places of bad reduction $|S|$ and the degree $d$ of the rational function $ϕ$. This bound significantly improves a previous bound given by J. Canci and L.…
In this article, we combine complex-analytic and arithmetic tools to study the preperiodic points of one-dimensional complex dynamical systems. We show that for any fixed complex numbers a and b, and any integer d at least 2, the set of complex numbers c for which both a and b are preperiodic for z^d+c is infinite if and only if a^d = b^d. This provides an affirmative answer to a question of Zannier, which itself arose from questions of Masser concerning simultaneous torsion sections on families of elliptic curves. Using similar techniques, we prove that if two complex rational functions f and…
We provide a complete classification of possible graphs of rational preperiodic points of quadratic rational functions defined over the rationals with a rational periodic critical point of period 3, under two assumptions: that these functions have no periodic points of period at least 5 and the conjectured enumeration of points on a certain genus 6 affine plane curve. We show that there are exactly six such possible graphs, and that rational functions satisfying the conditions above have at most eleven rational preperiodic points.
We introduce a new canonical height function for Jordan blocks of small eigenvalues for endomorphisms on smooth projective varieties over a number field. We prove that under an assumption on the eigenvalues of the endomorphism on the group of divisors modulo numerical equivalence, the arithmetic degree at a rational point is equal to one if and only if it is preperiodic under the endomorphism.
Let $ϕ$ be a an endomorphism of degree $d\geq{2}$ of the projective line, defined over a number field $K$. Let $S$ be a finite set of places of $K$, including the archimedean places, such that $ϕ$ has good reduction outside of $S$. The article presents two main results: the first result is a bound on the number of $K$-rational preperiodic points of $ϕ$ in terms of the cardinality of the set $S$ and the degree $d$ of the endomorphism $ϕ$. This bound is quadratic in terms of $d$ which is a significant improvement to all previous bounds on the number of preperiodic points in terms of the degree $…
Given a global field K and a polynomial f defined over K of degree at least two, Morton and Silverman conjectured in 1994 that the number of K-rational preperiodic points of f is bounded in terms of only the degree of K and the degree of f. In 1997, for quadratic polynomials over K=Q, Call and Goldstine proved a bound which was exponential in s, the number of primes of bad reduction of f. By careful analysis of the filled Julia sets at each prime, we present an improved bound on the order of slog(s). Our bound applies to polynomials of any degree (at least two) over any global field K.
Let $K$ be a function field over an algebraically closed field $k$ of characteristic $0$, let $φ\in K(z)$ be a rational function of degree at least equal to $2$ for which there is no point at which $φ$ is totally ramified, and let $α\in K$. We show that for all but finitely many pairs $(m,n)\in \mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0}\times \mathbb{N}$ there exists a place $\mathfrak{p}$ of $K$ such that the point $α$ has preperiod $m$ and minimum period $n$ under the action of $φ$. This answers a conjecture made by Ingram-Silverman and Faber-Granville. We prove a similar result, under suitable modification, also w…
We consider parameters $λ$ for which $0$ is preperiodic under the map $z\mapstoλe^z$. Given $k$ and $l$, let $n(r)$ be the number of $λ$ satisfying $0<|λ|\leq r$ such that $0$ is mapped after $k$ iterations to a periodic point of period $l$. We determine the asymptotic behavior of $n(r)$ as $r$ tends to $\infty$.
We establish an approximation of the activity current $T_c$ in the parameter space of a holomorphic family $f$ of rational functions having a marked critical point $c$ by parameters for which $c$ is periodic under $f$, i.e., is a superattracting periodic point. This partly generalizes a Dujardin--Favre theorem for rational functions having preperiodic points, and refines a Bassanelli--Berteloot theorem on a similar approximation of the bifurcation current $T_f$ of the holomorphic family $f$. The proof is based on a dynamical counterpart of this approximation.
We provide a complete classification of possible graphs of rational preperiodic points of endomorphisms of the projective line of degree 2 defined over the rationals with a rational periodic critical point of period 2, under the assumption that these maps have no periodic points of period at least 7. We explain how this extends results of Poonen on quadratic polynomials. We show that there are 13 possible graphs, and that such maps have at most 9 rational preperiodic points. We provide data related to the analogous classification of graphs of endomorphisms of degree 2 with a rational periodic …
Motivated by the dynamical uniform boundedness conjecture of Morton and Silverman, specifically in the case of quadratic polynomials, we give a formal construction of a certain class of dynamical analogues of classical modular curves. The preperiodic points for a quadratic polynomial map may be endowed with the structure of a directed graph satisfying certain strict conditions; we call such a graph admissible. Given an admissible graph $G$, we construct a curve $X_1(G)$ whose points parametrize quadratic polynomial maps -- which, up to equivalence, form a one-parameter family -- together with …
Given a number field $K$ and a polynomial $f(z) \in K[z]$, one can naturally construct a finite directed graph $G(f,K)$ whose vertices are the $K$-rational preperiodic points of $f$, with an edge $α\to β$ if and only if $f(α) = β$. The dynamical uniform boundedness conjecture of Morton and Silverman suggests that, for fixed integers $n \ge 1$ and $d \ge 2$, there are only finitely many isomorphism classes of directed graphs $G(f,K)$ as one ranges over all number fields $K$ of degree $n$ and polynomials $f(z) \in K[z]$ of degree $d$. In the case $(n,d) = (1,2)$, Poonen has given a complete clas…
According to the Thurston No Wandering Triangle Theorem, a branching point in a locally connected quadratic Julia set is either preperiodic or precritical. Blokh and Oversteegen proved that this theorem does not hold for higher degree Julia sets: there exist cubic polynomials whose Julia set is a locally connected dendrite with a branching point which is neither preperiodic nor precritical. In this article, we reprove this result, constructing such cubic polynomials as limits of cubic polynomials for which one critical point eventually maps to the other critical point which eventually maps to …
In [DKY], it was conjectured that there is a uniform bound $B$, depending only on the degree $d$, so that any pair of holomorphic maps $f, g :\mathbb{P}^1\to\mathbb{P}^1$ with degree $d$ will either share all of their preperiodic points or have at most $B$ in common. Here we show that this uniform bound holds for a Zariski open and dense set in the space of all pairs, $\mathrm{Rat}_d \times \mathrm{Rat}_d$, for each degree $d\geq 2$. The proof involves a combination of arithmetic intersection theory and complex-dynamical results, especially as developed recently by Gauthier-Vigny, Yuan-Zhang, …
We prove that if $f$ is a polynomial over a number field $K$ with a finite superattracting periodic point and a non-archimedean place of bad reduction, then there is an $ε>0$ such that only finitely many $P\in K^{\text{ab}}$ have canonical height less than $ε$ with respect to $f$. The key ingredient is the geometry of the filled Julia set at a place of bad reduction. We also prove a conditional uniform boundedness result for the $K$-rational preperiodic points of such polynomials, as well as a uniform lower bound on the canonical height of non-preperiodic points in $K$. We further prove uncond…
Let f in Q[z] be a polynomial of degree d at least two. The associated canonical height \hat{h}_f is a certain real-valued function on Q that returns zero precisely at preperiodic rational points of f. Morton and Silverman conjectured in 1994 that the number of such points is bounded above by a constant depending only on d. A related conjecture claims that at non-preperiodic rational points, \hat{h}_f is bounded below by a positive constant (depending only on d) times some kind of height of f itself. In this paper, we provide support for these conjectures in the case d=3 by computing the set o…
In this paper, we study multiplicative dependence of values of polynomials or rational functions over a number field. As an application, we obtain new results on multiplicative dependence in the orbits of a univariate polynomial dynamical system. We also obtain a broad generalisation of the Northcott theorem replacing the finiteness of preperiodic points from a given number field by the finiteness of initial points with two multiplicatively dependent elements in their orbits.
Given a number field $K$ and a polynomial $f(z) \in K[z]$ of degree at least 2, one can construct a finite directed graph $G(f,K)$ whose vertices are the $K$-rational preperiodic points for $f$, with an edge $α\to β$ if and only if $f(α) = β$. Restricting to quadratic polynomials, the dynamical uniform boundedness conjecture of Morton and Silverman suggests that for a given number field $K$, there should only be finitely many isomorphism classes of directed graphs that arise in this way. Poonen has given a conjecturally complete classification of all such directed graphs over $\mathbb{Q}$, whi…
Let $q$ be a prime power and $ϕ$ a rational function with coefficients in a finite field $\mathbb{F}_q$. For $n \geq 1$, each element of $\mathbb{P}^1(\F_{q^n})$ is either periodic or strictly preperiodic under iteration of $ϕ$. Denote by $a_n$ the proportion of periodic elements. Little is known about how $a_n$ changes as $n$ grows, unless $ϕ$ is a power map or Chebyshev polynomial. We give the first results on this question for a wider class of rational functions: $a_n$ has lim inf $0$ when $q$ is odd and $ϕ$ is quadratic and neither Lattès nor conjugate to a one-parameter family of exceptio…
In this article, we prove the equivalence of dynamical stability, preperiodicity, and canonical height 0, for algebraic families of rational maps $f_t: \mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{C}) \to \mathbb{P}^1(\mathbb{C})$, parameterized by $t$ in a quasi-projective complex variety. We use this to prove one implication in the if-and-only-if statement of Conjecture 1.10 in [Baker-DeMarco, 2013] on unlikely intersections in the moduli space of rational maps; we present the conjecture here in a more general form.
Let phi be a morphism of projective N-space defined over a number field K. We prove that there is a bound B depending only on phi such that every twist of phi has no more than B K-rational preperiodic points. (This result is analagous to a result of Silverman for abelian varieties.) For two specific families of quadratic rational maps over Q, we find the bound B explicitly.
A holomorphic endomorphism of $\mathbb{CP}^n$ is post-critically algebraic if its critical hypersurfaces are periodic or preperiodic. This notion generalizes the notion of post-critically finite rational maps in dimension one. We will study the eigenvalues of the differential of such a map along a periodic cycle. When $n=1$, a well-known fact is that the eigenvalue along a periodic cycle of a post-critically finite rational map is either superattracting or repelling. We prove that when $n=2$ the eigenvalues are still either superattracting or repelling. This is an improvement of a result by Ma…
We study inverse limit spaces of tent maps, and the Ingram Conjecture, which states that the inverse limit spaces of tent maps with different slopes are non-homeomorphic. When the tent map is restricted to its core, so there is no ray compactifying on the inverse limit space, this result is referred to as the Core Ingram Conjecture. We prove the Core Ingram Conjecture when the critical point is non-recurrent and not preperiodic.
These are lecture notes from a course in arithmetic dynamics given in Grenoble in June 2017. The main purpose of this text is to explain how arithmetic equidistribution theory can be used in the dynamics of rational maps on P^1. We first briefly introduce the basics of the iteration theory of rational maps on the projective line over C, as well as some elements of iteration theory over an arbitrary complete valued field and the construction of dynamically defined height functions for rational functions defined over \overline Q. The equidistribution of small points gives some original informati…
We extend Thurston's combinatorial criterion for postcritically finite rational maps to a class of rational maps with bounded type Siegel disks. The combinatorial characterization of this class of Siegel rational maps plays a special role in the study of general Siegel rational maps. As one of the applications, we prove that for any quadratic rational map with a bounded type Siegel disk, the boundary of the Siegel disk is a quasi-circle which passes through one or both of the critical points.
The aim of these lectures is the study of bifurcations within holomorphic families of polynomials or rational maps by mean of ergodic and pluripotential theoretic tools.
