Linearisable Mappings and the Low-Growth Criterion

We examine a family of discrete second-order systems which are integrable through reduction to a linear system. These systems were previously identified using the singularity confinement criterion. Here we analyse them using the more stringent criterion of nonexponential growth of the degrees of the iterates. We show that the linearisable mappings are characterised by a very special degree growth. The ones linearisable by reduction to projective systems exhibit zero growth, i.e. they behave like linear systems, while the remaining ones (derivatives of Riccati, Gambier mapping) lead to linear growth. This feature may well serve as a detector of integrability through linearisation.