Reversors and Symmetries for Polynomial Automorphisms of the Plane

Abstract

We obtain normal forms for symmetric and for reversible polynomial automorphisms (polynomial maps that have polynomial inverses) of the plane. Our normal forms are based on the generalized \Henon normal form of Friedland and Milnor. We restrict to the case that the symmetries and reversors are also polynomial automorphisms. We show that each such reversor has finite-order, and that for nontrivial, real maps, the reversor has order 2 or 4. The normal forms are shown to be unique up to finitely many choices. We investigate some of the dynamical consequences of reversibility, especially for the case that the reversor is not an involution.