Topological dynamics of Markov multi-maps of the interval

Abstract

We study Markov multi-maps of the interval from the point of view of topological dynamics. Specifically, we investigate whether they have various properties, including topological transitivity, topological mixing, dense periodic points, and specification. To each Markov multi-map, we associate a shift of finite type (SFT), and then our main results relate the properties of the SFT with those of the Markov multi-map. These results complement existing work showing a relationship between the topological entropy of a Markov multi-map and its associated SFT. We also characterize when the inverse limit systems associated to the Markov multi-maps have the properties mentioned above.