The \(q\)-Gelfand-Tsetlin graph, Gibbs measures and \(q\)-Toeplitz matrices (Q655341)

The study of characters of the infinite-dimensional group \(U(\infty)\) was initiated by \textit{D. Voiculescu} in 1976 [J. Math. Pures Appl., IX. Sér. 55, 1--20 (1976; Zbl 0352.22014)]. He studied finite factor representations of \(U(\infty)\). These representations are in bijection with extreme characters of \(U(\infty)\), which are extreme points of the convex set of all characters of \(U(\infty)\). There is a correspondence between extreme characters of \(U(\infty)\) and totally positive Toeplitz matrices. \textit{A. M. Vershik} and \textit{S. V. Kerov} [Sov. Math., Dokl. 26, 570--574 (1982); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 267, 272--276 (1982; Zbl 0524.22017)] showed that the problem of classification of extreme characters of \(U(\infty)\) is also equivalent to the description of the simplex of central (i.~e.~possessing a certain Gibbs property) measures on path of the Gelfand-Tsetlin graph. In the paper under review the author introduces and studies a \(q\)-deformation of the notion of a character of \(U(\infty)\). He introduces the notion of a \(q\)-centrality and describes the simplex of all \(q\)-central measures on path of the Gelfand-Tsetlin graph. Also, he defines a class of \(q\)-Toeplitz matrices and shows that extreme \(q\)-central measures correspond to \(q\)-Toeplitz matrices with non-negative minors. These results can be viewed as a classification theorem for certain Gibbs measures on rhombus tilings on the halfplane.