Lyapunov exponents and Hodge theory

Abstract

We started from computer experiments with simple one-dimensional ergodic dynamical systems called interval exchange transformations. Correlators in these systems decay as a power of time. In the simplest non-trivial case the exponent is equal to 1/3. We found a formula connecting characteristic exponents with explicit integrals over moduli spaces of algebraic curves with additional structures. Moreover, these integrals can be interpreted as correlators in a topological string theory. Also a new analogy arose between ergodic theory and complex algebraic geometry.