Mean-field coupling of identical expanding circle maps

Abstract: Globally coupled doubling maps are studied in this paper. In this setting and for finitely many sites, two distinct bifurcation values of the coupling strength have been identified in the literature, corresponding to the emergence of contracting directions (\cite{koiller2010coupled}) and, specifically for $N=3$ sites, to the loss of ergodicity (\cite{fernandez2014breaking}). On the one hand, we reconsider these results and provide an interpretation of the observed dynamical phenomena in terms of the synchronization of the sites. On the other hand, we initiate a new point of view which focuses on the evolution of distributions and allows to incorporate the investigation of infinitely many sites. In particular we observe phenomena in the infinite system that is analogous to the limit states of the contracting regime of $N=3$ sites.