The dichotomy problem for orbital measures of \(SU(n)\) (Q2581034)

This is the development of a series of results starting from Ragozin's theorem that for a compact, connected, simple Lie group \(G\) and for a central, continuous measure \(\mu\) on \(G\) one has \(\mu^{dim\;G}\in L^1(G)\). The main result of the paper is that for any orbital measure \(\mu\) on \(SU(2)\) either \(\mu^k\in L^2\) or \(\mu^k\) is singular in \(L^1\). The least \(k\) for which \(\mu^k\in L^2\) or \(\mu^k\) is determined and is shown to be the minimum \(k\) for which the \(k\)-fold product of the conjugacy class supporting the measure has positive measure.