Introduction to Smooth Ergodic Theory - Lecture 1

Explore fundamental concepts of Smooth Ergodic Theory in this lecture that delves into the statistical behavior of dynamical system orbits. Learn about the crucial role of dynamical foliations (stable/unstable) in analyzing hyperbolic systems and their statistical properties. Understand the interaction between geometric objects and invariant measures, particularly SRB measures, which characterize the statistical behavior of large point sets. Examine Hopf's argument for proving ergodicity in conservative systems, and discover how SRB measures are constructed and applied in dissipative hyperbolic systems where volume preservation is not maintained.