We set up a framework for computing the spectral dimension of a class of one-dimensional self-similar measures that are defined by iterated function systems with overlaps and satisfy a family of second-order self-similar identities. As applications of our result we obtain the spectral dimension of important measures such as the infinite Bernoulli convolution associated with the golden ratio and convolutions of Cantor-type measures. The main novelty of our result is that the iterated function systems we consider are not post-critically finite and do not satisfy the well-known open set condition.

This is the third in a series of works devoted to spectral asymptotics for non-selfadjoint perturbations of selfadjoint $h$-pseudodifferential operators in dimension 2, having a periodic classical flow. Assuming that the strength $\epsilon$ of the perturbation is in the range $h^2\ll \epsilon \ll h^{1/2}$ (and may sometimes reach even smaller values), we get an asymptotic description of the eigenvalues in rectangles $[-1/C,1/C]+i\epsilon [F_0-1/C,F_0+1/C]$, $C\gg 1$, when $\epsilon F_0$ is a saddle point value of the flow average of the leading perturbation.