Let
(X,T) and
(Y,S) be two topological dynamical systems, and
π:X→Y a factor map. Let
a=(a1,a2)∈R2 with
a1>0 and
a2≥0, and
34b" title="Click to view the MathML source">f∈C(X). We define the
a-weighted topological pressure of
f , denoted by
Pa(X,f), as an extension of the classical topological pressure. In this approach, we use the
a-weighted Bowen balls to substitute the Bowen balls in the classical definition. We prove the following variational principle:
where the supremum is taken over the
T-invariant measures on
X . It not only generalizes the variational principle of classical topological pressure, but also provides a topological extension of dimension theory of invariant sets and measures on the torus
T2 under affine diagonal endomorphisms. A higher dimensional version of the result is also established.