Algebraic entropy of sign-stable mutation loops

Abstract

We introduce a property of mutation loops, called the sign stability, with a focus on an asymptotic behavior of the iteration of the tropical $\mathcal{X}$-transformation. A sign-stable mutation loop has a numerical invariant which we call the cluster stretch factor, in analogy with that of a pseudo-Anosov mapping class on a marked surface. We compute the algebraic entropies of the cluster $\mathcal{A}$- and $\mathcal{X}$-transformations induced by a sign-stable mutation loop, and conclude that these two coincide with the logarithm of the cluster stretch factor.