One-parameter families of circle diffeomorphisms with strictly monotone rotation number

Abstract:

We show that if $f \colon S^1 \times S^1 \to S^1 \times S^1$ is $C^2$, with $f(x, t) = (f_t(x), t)$, and the rotation number of $f_t$ is equal to $t$ for all $t \in S^1$, then $f$ is topologically conjugate to the linear Dehn twist of the torus $\left ( \begin {smallmatrix} 1&1\\ 0&1 \end {smallmatrix} \right )$. We prove a differentiability result where the assumption that the rotation number of $f_t$ is $t$ is weakened to say that the rotation number is strictly monotone in $t$.