Thermodynamic formalism for non-uniform systems with controlled specification and entropy expansiveness

Abstract: We study thermodynamic formalism of dynamical systems with non-uniform structure. Precisely, we obtain the uniqueness of equilibrium states for a family of non-uniformly expansive flows by generalizing Climenhaga-Thompson's orbit decomposition criteria. In particular, such family includes entropy expansive flows. Meanwhile, the essential part of the decomposition is allowed to satisfy an even weaker version of specification, namely controlled specification, thus also extends the corresponding results by Pavlov. Two applications of our abstract theorems are explored. Firstly, we introduce a notion of regularity condition called weak Walters condition, and study the uniqueness of measure of maximal entropy for a suspension flow with roof function satisfying such condition. Secondly, we investigate topologically transitive frame flows on rank one manifolds of nonpositive curvature, which is a group extension of nonuniformly hyperbolic flows. Under a bunched curvature condition and running a Gauss-Bonnet type of argument, we show the uniqueness of equilibrium states with respect to certain potentials.