Kakutani equivalence of unipotent flows (Q2037864)

\textit{S. Kakutani} introduced a notion of equivalence between measure-preserving systems [Proc. Imp. Acad. Tokyo 19, 635--641 (1943; Zbl 0060.27406)] that is weaker than measurable isomorphism (which is too fine to be handled in any generality, even when restricted to any specified entropy) and orbit equivalence (which collapses all ergodic systems). By the entropy formula of \textit{L. M. Abramov} [Transl., Ser. 2, Am. Math. Soc. 49, 162--166 (1966; Zbl 0185.21804)], what we now call Kakutani equivalence does not preserve entropy but does preserve the entropy being zero, finite and positive, or infinite. \textit{A. B. Katok} [Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 41, 104--157 (1977; Zbl 0372.28020)] showed that ergodic actions with discrete spectrum are all Kakutani equivalent, and the standard class of systems he considered, those Kakutani equivalent to irrational rotations, are now called loosely Kronecker. Ingenious constructions of systems with zero entropy that are not loosely Kronecker were found. \textit{M. Ratner} [Isr. J. Math. 31, 122--132 (1978; Zbl 0417.58013)] showed that the horocycle flow on a finite volume quotient of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\) is loosely Kronecker but that the Cartesian square of the horocycle on \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})/\Gamma\times\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})/\Gamma\) is not loosely Kronecker for a hyperbolic uniform lattice \(\Gamma\) [\textit{M. Ratner}, Isr. J. Math. 34, 72--96 (1979; Zbl 0437.28010)] and, eventually, that the \(k\)-fold and \(\ell\)-fold Cartesian powers of such systems can only be Kakutani equivalent if \(k=\ell\), by introducing a \textit{Kakutani invariant} shown to be different if \(k\neq\ell\) [\textit{M. Ratner}, Isr. J. Math. 38, 231--240 (1981; Zbl 0482.28031)]. Here the Kakutani invariant is found for the class of unipotent flows on finite volume quotients of semi-simple Lie groups, in terms of the Jordan block structure of the unipotent element generating the flow (answering a question raised by Ratner). A consequence is that the only loosely Kronecker unipotent flows look like the action of \(\begin{pmatrix}1&t\\ 0&1\end{pmatrix}\times \mathrm{Id}\) acting on \((\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\times G)/\Gamma\) where \(\Gamma\) is an irreducible lattice in \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\times G\).