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Abstract
I. INTRODUCTION
Many physical problems are connected with the spectral properties of almost
periodic operators: localisation, metal-insulator transition, fractal structures in
relation to percolation, electrons in magnetic fields, uncommensurate systems. The
solution of the corresponding Schrodinger equations may be extended when the energy
belongsto a band spectrum, or localized when the energy belong to the pure point
part of the spectrum. However, it has been shown in some cases that a uncommon
singular continuous part arises in the spectral density of states. Wery little is known
about the corresponding states Our work is an attempt to give a partial answer
to this question.
There exist a natural relation between the theory of almost periodic operators
and the theory of dynamical systems, therefore we shall here start from one of the
simplest dynamical systems: the iteration of polynomials. We will associate to this
iterative system a one dimensional operator, the spectral measure of which is inva-
riant under the transformation. This procedure is in fact to follow the line of re-
normalization group approach, which has become popular in the theory of critical
thermodynamical systems[27!In section will introduce some properties of a measure
which is invariant under a polynomial transformation. In section III,we show some orthogo-
nality prooerties of iterated polynomials. Following a standard procedure, we intro-
duce in section IV a one dimensional discrete operator which admits the previous in-
variant measure as spectral density of states. In section V we show that this opera-
tor has almost periodic properties. In section VI we sketch the physical context of
137
our problem.
These notes represent two lectures given at Marseilles in the framework of the
"II Encounter between Mathematicians and Mathematical physicists of the Federal Republic
of Germany and France",March Ui83.We thank the organizers for the opportunity given
to us to report on our recent works.Part of the present material is based on works
made incollaboration mainly with J.Bellissard and M.L. Mehta and G.A. Baker. We
thank M.F. Barnsley, J.S. Geronimo and R. Rammal for helpful discussions related to
their work in the same domain.
T(x)
(I)
T(n-l) (T(x»
i (-n) , n n
and let x(n) = T (x 1 = 1,2, '" , d , be the d roots of equation
i o),
T(n) (x) x The set of accumulation points of all preimages x
X 1S just of
o' Cn) o
the Julia set of the polynomial T. Under our hypotheses this set is real, included
in S, and independant of x
o'
'
Fo 11 oW1ng Bro I'1n [8] , we shall consider the asymptotic distribution of predeces-
sors: we define for any given n and for arbitrary (but fixed) point xo,the measure:
n
(x) =
dn
(Ii=l o(x - x
i(
n
») dx (2)
This measure is a discrete one with equal weighmon all preimages of order n of x
o'
Bro11' n [ 8 ] asserts that the sequence '
has a limit in the weak topology, wh1ch ,
1S
independent on Xo when n goes to infinity. This limiting measure has been re-
cognized to have special invariance properties: it is invariant under T, and gives
equal weight to all inverse branches of T, a property sometimes called balanced pro-
[4]
perty .
For our purpose here, it is sufficient to define the generating function G(z)
of the above defined measure, which is supported by the Julia set, included in S.
We define for z E ans z S: