Invariant measures for Cartesian powers of Chacon infinite transformation (Q1650001)

This paper studies boundedly finite measures that are invariant under Cartesian powers of an infinite measure-preserving Chacon transformation, denoted by \(T\). This map can be defined as a piecewise affine transformation of \(\mathbb R_+\), which, for any \(n\in\mathbb N\), is an interval exchange transformation of the intervals of the form \(I_{i,n} = [i/3^n,(i+1)/3^n]\) in restriction to the interval \([0,(7\times 6^n-2)/(5\times 3^n)]\). The precise description of this transformation can be made in terms of towers. Of course, \(T\) preserves the Lebesgue measure. The main theorem of this paper states that any boundedly finite measures that is invariant under \(T^d\) is in fact a product of so-called diagonal measures. A measure of \(\mathbb R_+^d\) is called \textit{diagonal} if in restriction to the sets \((C_n)^d\) (where the sets \(C_n\) are the intervals \([0,(7\times 6^n)/(5\times 3^n) + 1/(5\times 3^{n+1})]\)), it is supported by a single \(n\)-diagonal, where a \(n\)-diagonal is the restriction to \((C_n)^d\) of the \(\mathbb Z\)-orbit of the box \(I_{i_1,n} \times \cdots\times I_{i_d,n}\) under \(T^d\). The authors then study the diagonal measures. They prove that they are of two types: {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[--] graph joinings arising from powers of \(T\), that is, measures \(\sigma\) of the form \[ \sigma(A_1\times\cdots\times A_d) = \alpha\text{Leb}(A_1 \cap T^{-k_2}(A_2) \cap \cdots\cap T^{-k_d}(A_d)). \] These measures are the only ones appearing in the finite measure case; \item[--] ``weird'' diagonal measures, whose marginals are singular. \end{itemize}} Under some hypotheses of absolute continuity on the marginals of the invariant measure, the second case cannot hold. From these facts, the authors deduce that \(T\) has a trivial centralizer and no nontrivial factor. The paper contains an appendix with a result of independent interest, which gives sufficient conditions for a infinite measure-preserving system to be decomposed into a Cartesian product of two systems.