The focus of this book is on open conformal dynamical systems corresponding to the escape of a point through an open Euclidean ball. The ultimate goal is to understand the asymptotic behavior of the escape rate as the radius of the ball tends to zero. In the case of hyperbolic conformal systems this has been addressed by various authors. The conformal maps considered in this book are far more general, and the analysis correspondingly more involved. The asymptotic existence of escape rates is proved and they are calculated in the context of (finite or infinite) countable alphabets, uniformly contracting conformal graph-directed Markov systems, and in particular, conformal countable alphabet iterated function systems. These results have direct applications to interval maps, rational functions and meromorphic maps. Towards this goal the authors develop, on a purely symbolic level, a theory of singular perturbations of Perron--Frobenius (transfer) operators associated with countable alphabet subshifts of finite type and Hölder continuous summable potentials. This leads to a fairly full account of the structure of the corresponding open dynamical systems and their associated surviving sets.

The book contains a detailed treatment of thermodynamic formalism on general compact metrizable spaces. Topological pressure, topological entropy, variational principle, and equilibrium states are presented in detail. Abstract ergodic theory is also given a significant attention. Ergodic theorems, ergodicity, and Kolmogorov-Sinai metric entropy are fully explored. Furthermore, the book gives the reader an opportunity to find rigorous presentation of thermodynamic formalism for distance expanding maps and, in particular, subshifts of finite type over a finite alphabet. It also provides a fairly complete treatment of subshifts of finite type over a countable alphabet. Transfer operators, Gibbs states and equilibrium states are, in this context, introduced and dealt with. Their relations are explored. All of this is applied to fractal geometry centered around various versions of Bowen’s formula in the context of expanding conformal repellors, limit sets of conformal iterated function systems and conformal graph directed Markov systems. A unique introduction to iteration of rational functions is given with emphasize on various phenomena caused by rationally indifferent periodic points. Also, a fairly full account of the classicaltheory of Shub’s expanding endomorphisms is given; it does not have a book presentation in English language mathematical literature.

Understanding dissipative dynamics of open quantum systems remains a challenge in mathematical physics. This problem is relevant in various areas of fundamental and applied physics. Significant progress in the understanding of such systems has been made recently. These books present the mathematical theories involved in the modeling of such phenomena. They describe physically relevant models, develop their mathematical analysis and derive their physical implications.

This volume is the third and last of a series devoted to the lecture notes of the Grenoble Summer School on “Open Quantum Systems” which took place at the th th Institut Fourier from June 16 to July 4 2003. The contributions presented in this volumecorrespondtoexpanded versionsofthelecturenotesprovidedbytheauthors to the students of the Summer School. The corresponding lectures were scheduled in the last part of the School devoted to recent developments in the study of Open Quantum Systems. Whereas the rst two volumes were dedicated to a detailed exposition of the mathematical techniques and physical concepts relevant in the study of Open S- tems with noapriori pre-requisites, the contributions presented in this volume request from the reader some familiarity with these aspects. Indeed, the material presented here aims at leading the reader already acquainted with the basics in ? quantum statistical mechanics, spectral theory of linear operators,C -dynamical systems, and quantum stochastic differential equations to the front of the current research done on various aspects of Open Quantum Systems. Nevertheless, pe- gogical efforts have been made by the various authors of these notes so that this volume should be essentially self-contained for a reader with minimal previous - posure to the themes listed above. In any case, the reader in need of complements can always turn to these rst two volumes. The topics covered in these lectures notes start with an introduction to n- equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics.

Understanding dissipative dynamics of open quantum systems remains a challenge in mathematical physics. This problem is relevant in various areas of fundamental and applied physics. Significant progress in the understanding of such systems has been made recently. These books present the mathematical theories involved in the modeling of such phenomena. They describe physically relevant models, develop their mathematical analysis and derive their physical implications.

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