Exponents and Almost Periodic Orbits

Abstract

We introduce the group of exponents of a map of the reals into a metric space and give conditions under which this group embeds in the first Cech cohomology group of the closure of the image of the map. We show that this group generalizes the subgroup of the reals generated by the Fourier-Bohr exponents of an almost periodic orbit and that any minimal almost periodic flow in a complete metric space is determined up to (topological) equivalence by this group. We also develop a way of associating groups with any self-homeomorphism of a metric space that generalizes the rotation number of an orientation-preserving homeomorphism of the circle with irrational rotation number.