The arithmetic of dynamical systems

This book provides an introduction to the relatively new discipline of arithmetic dynamics. Whereas classical discrete dynamics is the study of iteration of self-maps of the complex plane or real line, arithmetic dynamics is the study of the number-theoretic properties of rational and algebraic points under repeated application of a polynomial or rational function. A principal theme of arithmetic dynamics is that many of the fundamental problems in the theory of Diophantine equations have dynamical analogs.This graduate-level text provides an entry for students into an active field of research and serves as a standard reference for researchers.