Dynamics of a family of polynomial automorphisms of $\mathbb{C}^3$, a phase transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates a family of polynomial automorphisms of ^3, revealing a phase transition in their dynamical behavior, including properties like preserving rational fibrations, centralizer size, and escape rates, depending on a parameter.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of a specific family of polynomial automorphisms in three complex dimensions, highlighting a phase transition in their dynamical properties.

Findings

First dynamical degree is greater than 1.

Automorphisms preserve a unique rational fibration.

Behavior varies with the parameter lpha, including escape rates.

Abstract

The polynomial automorphisms of the affine plane have been studied a lot: if $f$ is such an automorphism, then either $f$ preserves a rational fibration, has an uncountable centralizer and its first dynamical degree equals $1$, or $f$ preserves no rational curves, has a countable centralizer and its first dynamical degree is $>1$. In higher dimensions there is no such description. In this article we study a family $(\Psi_\alpha)_\alpha$ of polynomial automorphisms of $\mathbb{C}^3$. We show that the first dynamical degree of $\Psi_\alpha$ is $>1$, that $\Psi_\alpha$ preserves a unique rational fibration and has an uncountable centralizer. We then describe the dynamics of the family $(\Psi_\alpha)_\alpha$, in particular the speed of points escaping to infinity. We also observe different behaviors according to the value of the parameter $\alpha$.