Singularity confinement as an integrability criterion

Abstract

In this paper we present a rigorous method for deciding whether a birational three point mapping that has the singularity confinement property is integrable or not, based only on the structure of its (confined) singularity patterns. We also explain how the exact value of the dynamical degree for such a mapping may be deduced from the singularity patterns.

24 pages, 2 figures