A zero-one law for random subgroups of some totally disconnected groups

DOI10.1007/S00031-009-9070-0MaRDI QIDQ848897zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Yair Glasner

Publication date 23 February 2010

Published in Transformation Groups (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0902.3792

zbMATH Keywords

ergodic actionfinitely generated locally compact groupsnon-Archimedean local fieldtotally disconnected groups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Ergodic theory on groups (22D40) Groups as automorphisms of other structures (22F50)

Abstract: Let A be a locally compact group topologically generated by d elements and let k>d. Consider the action, by pre-composition, of Aut(F_k) on the set of marked, k-generated, dense subgroups D_{k,A} := {h:F_k --> A | h(F_k) is dense in A}. We prove the ergodicity of this action for two families of simple, totally disconnected locally compact groups. (i) A = PSL(2,K) where K is a non-Archimedean local field (of characteristic not equal to 2), (ii) A = Aut^{0}(T) - the group of orientation preserving automorphisms of a (q+1)-regular tree, for q > 1. In contrast, a recent result of Minsky's shows that the same action is not ergodic when A = PSL(2,R) or A = PSL(2,C). Therefore if K is a local field (with characteristic different than 2) the action of Aut(F_k) on D_{k,PSL(2,K)} is ergodic, for every k>2, if and only if K is non-Archimedean. Ergodicity implies that every "measurable property" either holds or fails to hold for almost every k-generated dense subgroup of A.

Review text

Let \(A\) denote a locally compact group, generated by \(d\) elements, let for \(k\in\mathbb N\) \(F_k\) denote the free (discrete) group generated by \(k\) elements and \(A^k = \mathrm{Hom}(F_k, A)\). \(A^k\) is endowed with the product measure \(\mu^k\), where \(\mu\) denotes a Haar measure on \(A\). The paper is concerned with the question of Goldman-Wiegold (originally formulated for finite groups resp. for compact connected Lie groups): Let, for \(k>d\), \(D_{k,A}:=\{ \eta\in \Hom(F_k, A): \overline{\eta(F_k)} = A\}\). For which groups \(A\) is the action of \(\Gamma =\Aut(F_k)\) ergodic on \(D_{k,A}\)? The main result: If \(A= \text{PSL}_2(K)\), \(K\) denoting a non-Archimedean local field of characteristic \(\neq 2\), or if \(A\) is the group of orientation preserving automorphisms of a regular tree, then, for all \(k\geq 3\), \(D_{k,A}\) is of infinite Haar measure in \(\Hom(F_k,A)\), and the action of \(\Aut(F_k)\) is ergodic on \(D_{k,A}\). Combined with investigations for Archimedean fields [\textit{Y. Minsky}, On dynamics of \(\text{Out}(F_n)\) on \(\text{PSL}_2(\mathbb{C})\) characters. arXiv:0906. 3491v1, (2009)], this yields the following remarkable result: If \(K\) is a local field with characteristic \(\neq 2\) and \(k\geq 4\) and even, then the action of \(\Aut(F_k)\) on \(D_{k,A}\) is ergodic iff \(K\) is non-Archimedean.

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Cited in

(5)

• Most actions on regular trees are almost free.
• On dynamics of \(\mathrm{Out}(F_n)\) on \(\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb C)\) characters
• Characteristic random subgroups of geometric groups and free abelian groups of infinite rank
• On the cut-off phenomenon for the transitivity of randomly generated subgroups
• \(\Aut(F_n)\) actions on representation spaces

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