Spatial discretizations of generic dynamical systems

Abstract

How is it possible to read the dynamical properties (ie when the time goes to infinity) of a system on numerical simulations? To try to answer this question, we study in this manuscript a model reflecting what happens when the orbits of a discrete time system $f$ (for example an homeomorphism) are computed numerically . The computer working in finite numerical precision, it will replace $f$ by a spacial discretization of $f$, denoted by $f_N$ (where the order $N$ of discretization stands for the numerical accuracy). In particular, we will be interested in the dynamical behaviour of the finite maps $f_N$ for a generic system $f$ and $N$ going to infinity, where generic will be taken in the sense of Baire (mainly among sets of homeomorphisms or $C^1$-diffeomorphisms). The first part of this manuscript is devoted to the study of the dynamics of the discretizations $f_N$, when $f$ is a generic conservative/dissipative homeomorphism of a compact manifold. We show that it would be mistaken to try to recover the dynamics of $f$ from that of a single discretization $f_N$ : its dynamics strongly depends on the order $N$. To detect some dynamical features of $f$, we have to consider all the discretizations $f_N$ when $N$ goes through $\mathbf N$. The second part deals with the linear case, which plays an important role in the study of $C^1$-generic diffeomorphisms, discussed in the third part of this manuscript. Under these assumptions, we obtain results similar to those established in the first part, though weaker and harder to prove.