We study dynamical systems $(X,G,m)$ with a compact metric space $X$, a locally compact, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70E}$-compact, abelian group $G$ and an invariant Borel probability measure $m$ on $X$. We show that such a system has a discrete spectrum if and only if a certain space average over the metric is a Bohr almost periodic function. In this way, this average over the metric plays, for general dynamical systems, a similar role to that of the autocorrelation measure in the study of aperiodic order for special dynamical systems based on point sets.

We study compact group actions with finite Rokhlin dimension, particularly in relation to crossed products. For example, we characterize the duals of such actions, generalizing previous partial results for the Rokhlin property. As an application, we determine the ideal structure of their crossed products. Under the assumption of so-called commuting towers, we show that taking crossed products by such actions preserves a number of relevant classes of $C^{\ast }$-algebras, including: $D$-absorbing $C^{\ast }$-algebras, where $D$ is a strongly self-absorbing $C^{\ast }$-algebra; stable $C^{\ast }$-algebras; $C^{\ast }$-algebras with finite nuclear dimension (or decomposition rank); $C^{\ast }$-algebras with finite stable rank (or real rank); and $C^{\ast }$-algebras whose $K$-theory is either trivial, rational, or $n$-divisible for $n\in \mathbb{N}$. The combination of nuclearity and the universal coefficient theorem (UCT) is also shown to be preserved by these actions. Some of these results are new even in the well-studied case of the Rokhlin property. Additionally, and under some technical assumptions, we show that finite Rokhlin dimension with commuting towers implies the (weak) tracial Rokhlin property. At the core of our arguments is a certain local approximation of the crossed product by a continuous $C(X)$-algebra with fibers that are stably isomorphic to the underlying algebra. The space $X$ is computed in some cases of interest, and we use its description to construct a $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$-action on a unital AF-algebra and on a unital Kirchberg algebra satisfying the UCT, whose Rokhlin dimensions with and without commuting towers are finite but do not agree.

A crossed product functor is said to be injective if it takes injective morphisms to injective morphisms. In this paper we show that every locally compact group $G$ admits a maximal injective crossed product $A\mapsto A\rtimes _{\text{inj}}G$. Moreover, we give an explicit construction of this functor that depends only on the maximal crossed product and the existence of $G$-injective $C^{\ast }$-algebras; this is a sort of ‘dual’ result to the construction of the minimal exact crossed product functor, the latter having been studied for its relationship to the Baum–Connes conjecture. It turns out that $\rtimes _{\text{inj}}$ has interesting connections to exactness, the local lifting property, amenable traces, and the weak expectation property.

A celebrated result by Bourgain and Wierdl states that ergodic averages along primes converge almost everywhere for $L^{p}$-functions, $p>1$, with a polynomial version by Wierdl and Nair. Using an anti-correlation result for the von Mangoldt function due to Green and Tao, we observe everywhere convergence of such averages for nilsystems and continuous functions.

For $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2]$ the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}$-transformation $T_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}:[0,1)\rightarrow [0,1)$ is defined by $T_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}(x)=\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}x\hspace{0.6em}({\rm mod}\hspace{0.2em}1)$. For $t\in [0,1)$ let $K_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}(t)$ be the survivor set of $T_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$ with hole $(0,t)$ given by

$$\begin{eqnarray}K_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}(t):=\{x\in [0,1):T_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}^{n}(x)\not \in (0,t)\text{ for all }n\geq 0\}.\end{eqnarray}$$

$E_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$t\in [0,1)$

$t\mapsto K_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}(t)$

$E_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2)$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2)$

$E_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2)$

$E_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$E_{2}$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2)$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$K_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}(t)$

$t<\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}}\leq 1-(1/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD})$

$\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\in (1,2)$

We consider a class of skew product maps of interval diffeomorphisms over the doubling map. The interval maps fix the end points of the interval. It is assumed that the system has zero fiber Lyapunov exponent at one endpoint and zero or positive fiber Lyapunov exponent at the other endpoint. We prove the appearance of on–off intermittency. This is done using the equivalent description of chaotic walks: random walks driven by the doubling map. The analysis further relies on approximating the chaotic walks by Markov random walks, that are constructed using Markov partitions for the doubling map.

Suppose $(k_{n})_{n\geq 1}$ is Hartman uniformly distributed and good universal. Also suppose $\unicode[STIX]{x1D713}$ is a polynomial with at least one coefficient other than $\unicode[STIX]{x1D713}(0)$ an irrational number. We adapt an argument due to Furstenberg to prove that the sequence $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D713}(k_{n}))_{n\geq 1}$ is uniformly distributed modulo one. This is used to give some new families of Poincaré recurrent sequences. In addition we show these sequences are also intersective and Glasner.

Ergodic optimization is the study of problems relating to maximizing orbits and invariant measures, and maximum ergodic averages. An orbit of a dynamical system is called $f$-maximizing if the time average of the real-valued function $f$ along the orbit is larger than along all other orbits, and an invariant probability measure is called $f$-maximizing if it gives $f$ a larger space average than any other invariant probability measure. In this paper, we consider the main strands of ergodic optimization, beginning with an influential model problem, and the interpretation of ergodic optimization as the zero temperature limit of thermodynamic formalism. We describe typical properties of maximizing measures for various spaces of functions, the key tool of adding a coboundary so as to reveal properties of these measures, as well as certain classes of functions where the maximizing measure is known to be Sturmian.

We highlight a connection between Diophantine approximation and the lower Assouad dimension by using information about the latter to show that the Hausdorff dimension of the set of badly approximable points that lie in certain non-conformal fractals, known as self-affine sponges, is bounded below by the dynamical dimension of these fractals. For self-affine sponges with equal Hausdorff and dynamical dimensions, the set of badly approximable points has full Hausdorff dimension in the sponge. Our results, which are the first to advance beyond the conformal setting, encompass both the case of Sierpiński sponges/carpets (also known as Bedford–McMullen sponges/carpets) and the case of Barański carpets. We use the fact that the lower Assouad dimension of a hyperplane diffuse set constitutes a lower bound for the Hausdorff dimension of the set of badly approximable points in that set.

In this paper we provide a complete modulus of analytic classification for germs of generic analytic families of diffeomorphisms which unfold a parabolic fixed point of codimension $k$. We start by showing that a generic family can be ‘prepared’, i.e. brought to a prenormal form ${f}_{\epsilon } (z)$ in which the multi-parameter $\epsilon $ is almost canonical (up to an action of $ \mathbb{Z} / k \mathbb{Z} $). As in the codimension one case treated in P. Mardešić, R. Roussarie and C. Rousseau [Modulus of analytic classification for unfoldings of generic parabolic diffeomorphisms. Mosc. Math. J. 4 (2004), 455–498], we show that the Ecalle–Voronin modulus can be unfolded to give a complete modulus for such germs. For this purpose, we define unfolded sectors in $z$-space that constitute natural domains on which the map ${f}_{\epsilon } $ can be brought to normal form in an almost unique way. The comparison of these normalizing changes of coordinates on the different sectors forms the analytic part of the modulus. This construction is performed on sectors in the multi-parameter space $\epsilon $ such that the closure of their union provides a neighborhood of the origin in parameter space.