New results on measures of maximal entropy

It has recently been demonstrated that there are strongly irreducible subshifts of finite type with more than one measure of maximal entropy. Here we obtain a number of results concerning the uniqueness of the measure of maximal entropy. In addition, we construct for anyd≥2 andk a strongly irreducible subshift of finite type ind dimensions with exactlyk ergodic (extremal) measures of maximal entropy. Ford≥3, we construct a strongly irreducible subshift of finite type ind dimensions with a continuum of ergodic measures of maximal entropy. Research supported in part by AFOSR grant # 91-0215 and NSF grant # DMS-9103738. Research supported by the Swedish National Science Foundation.