Rotation intervals for chaotic sets

Chaotic invariant sets for planar maps typically contain periodic orbits whose stable and unstable manifolds cross in grid-like fashion. Consider the rotation of orbits around a central fixed point. The intersections of the invariant manifolds of two periodic points with distinct rotation numbers can imply complicated rotational behavior. We show, in particular, that when the unstable manifold of one of these periodic points crosses the stable manifold of the other, and, similarly, the unstable manifold of the second crosses the stable manifold of the first, so that the segments of these invariant manifolds form a topological rectangle, then all rotation numbers between those of the two given orbits are represented. The result follows from a horseshoe-like construction.