Zip Shift encoding of M-TO-1 local homeomorphisms

We develop topological partitions for m-to-1 local homeomorphisms on compact metric spaces—maps that arise naturally in non-invertible dynamical systems, such as expanding and covering maps. These partitions enable a symbolic representation of the dynamics via the zip shift, an extended bilateral shift in the non-invertible setting. Inspired by Smale’s horseshoe construction, this approach generalizes topological partitions to a broader class of systems and opens new directions for studying their topological and ergodic properties.