Infinite-Piecewise Expanding Maps: Chaos, Ergodicity and Invariant-Set Complexity

Abstract

In this paper, we study a class of one-dimensional piecewise maps defined by infinitely many smooth expanding branches. This class arises naturally in the context of non-smooth dynamical systems and includes the first-return maps locally defined near sliding Shilnikov connections. By means of the theory of conformal iterated function systems (CIFS), we investigate several dynamical properties of these maps as well as the topological complexity of their invariant sets. In particular, we show that the dynamics restricted to the invariant set is topologically conjugate to the shift on $\mathbb{N}^{\mathbb{N}}$. We also establish the existence of a unique conformal measure that is invariant and ergodic under the map.