Kneading sequences for toy models of H\'enon maps

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to study the relation between combinatorial equivalence and topological conjugacy, specifically how a certain type of combinatorial equivalence implies topological conjugacy. We introduce the concept of kneading sequences for a setting that is more general than one-dimensional dynamics: for the two-dimensional toy model family of H\'enon maps introduced by Benedicks and Carleson, we define kneading sequences for their critical lines, and prove that these sequences are a complete invariant for a natural conjugacy class among the toy model family. We also establish a version of Singer's Theorem for the toy model family.