Fundamental groups for ergodic actions and actions with unit fundamental groups (Q1825292): Difference between revisions

This paper deals with the fundamental groups of ergodic dynamical systems with an invariant measure. Let us call TICC group a T-group with infinite conjugacy classes. It is proved that the dynamical system generated by the action of a TICC group which preserves a finite measure has a countable fundamental group. Furthermore, for a given countable group \(\Lambda \subset {\mathbb{R}}^*_+\) the authors construct an ergodic dynamical system whose fundamental group is countable and contains \(\Lambda\). In a second part, the left shift-action of a countable dense subgroup of a compact group is discussed in detail. The properties of the centralizer of this action are then determined. Using the dense imbedding theorem of a countable dense T-group in the orthogonal one, the authors calculate the groups of outer automorphisms and the fundamental groups of several dynamical systems. The essential result is the following: Let \(K=SO(n,{\mathbb{R}})\), \(G=SO(n,{\mathbb{Q}})\), \(n\geq 5\), \(n\neq 8\), \(\mu\) be the Haar measure on K. Consider the action of G on (K,\(\mu)\) generated by left shifts, and let \(R_ G\) be a corresponding equivalence relation, \(F(R_ G)\) its fundamental group, Aut \(R_ G\) the group of automorphisms, and Int \(R_ G\) the subgroup of inner automorphisms. Then one has: 1. \(F(R_ G)=\{1\}\) \[ 2.\quad Out R_ G=Aut R_ G/Int R_ G\simeq SO(n,{\mathbb{R}})\quad if\quad n\quad is\quad odd,\quad \simeq PO(n,{\mathbb{R}})\quad if\quad n\quad is\quad even. \] Fundamental groups for the action of locally compact continuous groups are also considered. It is shown that any finite measure-preserving action of a semi-simple Lie group with a finite center whose real rank is not less than 2 has a unit fundamental group. Hence follows triviality of the fundamental group also for actions of lattices of semi-simple Lie groups.