Constructing an expanding metric for dynamical systems in one complex variable

Suzanne Lynch Hruska

Published 2004-05-31, updated 2004-07-22Version 2

We describe a rigorous computer algorithm for attempting to construct an explicit, discretized metric for which a complex polynomial map is expansive on a given neighborhood of its Julia set. We show construction of such a metric proves the map is hyperbolic. We also examine the question of whether the algorithm can be improved, and the related question of how to build a metric as close to euclidean as possible. Finally, we give several examples generated with our implementation of this algorithm.