We construct symbolic dynamics on sets of full measure (w.r.t. an ergodic measure of positive entropy) for $C^{1+epsilon}$ flows on compact smooth three-dimensional manifolds. One consequence is that the geodesic flow on the unit tangent bundle of a compact $C^infty$ surface has at least const $times(e^{hT}/T)$ simple closed orbits of period less than $T$, whenever the topological entropy $h$ is positive -- and without further assumptions on the curvature.
A zero-dimensional (resp. symbolic) flow is a suspension flow over a zero-dimensional system (resp. a subshift). We show that any topological flow admits a principal extension by a zero-dimensional flow. Following [Bur19] we deduce that any topological flow admits an extension by a symbolic flow if and only if its time-$t$ map admits an extension by a subshift for any $t eq 0$. Moreover the existence of such an extension is preserved under orbit equivalence for regular topological flows, but this property does not hold more true for singular flows. Finally we investigate symbolic extensions for singular suspension flows. In particular, the suspension flow over the full shift on ${0,1}^{mathbb Z}$ with a roof function $f$ vanishing at the zero sequence $0^infty$ admits a principal symbolic extension or not depending on the smoothness of $f$ at $0^infty$.
We prove that every $C^1$ three-dimensional flow with positive topological entropy can be $C^1$ approximated by flows with homoclinic orbits. This extends a previous result for $C^1$ surface diffeomorphisms cite{g}.
Let ${T^t}$ be a smooth flow with positive speed and positive topological entropy on a compact smooth three dimensional manifold, and let $mu$ be an ergodic measure of maximal entropy. We show that either ${T^t}$ is Bernoulli, or ${T^t}$ is isomorphic to the product of a Bernoulli flow and a rotational flow. Applications are given to Reeb flows.
Given a piecewise $C^{1+beta}$ map of the interval, possibly with critical points and discontinuities, we construct a symbolic model for invariant probability measures with nonuniform expansion that do not approach the critical points and discontinuities exponentially fast almost surely. More specifically, we code the lift of these measures in the natural extension of the map.