Multifractality and nonextensivity at the edge of chaos of unimodal maps

Abstract

We examine both the dynamical and the multifractal properties at the chaos threshold of logistic maps with general nonlinearity $z>1$. First we determine analytically the sensitivity to initial conditions $\xi_{t}$. Then we consider a renormalization group (RG) operation on the partition function $Z$ of the multifractal attractor that eliminates one half of the multifractal points each time it is applied. Invariance of $Z$ fixes a length-scale transformation factor $2^{-\eta}$ in terms of the generalized dimensions $D_{\beta}$. There exists a gap $\Delta \eta $ in the values of $\eta $ equal to $\lambda _{q}=1/(1-q)=D_{\infty}^{-1}-D_{-\infty}^{-1}$ where $\lambda_{q}$ is the $q$-generalized Lyapunov exponent and $q$ is the nonextensive entropic index. We provide an interpretation for this relationship - previously derived by Lyra and Tsallis - between dynamical and geometrical properties. Key Words: Edge of chaos, multifractal attractor, nonextensivity