Harmonic analysis on solvable extensions of H-type groups (Q1188262)

If \(G\) is a Lie group one defines an averaging operator as a positive linear projector \(\pi: {\mathcal D}(G) \to {\mathcal D}(G)\), with some additional properties. A function \(f\) is said to be \(\pi\)-radial if \(\pi f = f\). The space \(L^ 1_ \pi(G)\) of integrable radial functions is a convolution algebra. When the algebra \(L^ 1_ \pi(G)\) is commutative, in analogy with the case of Gelfand pairs, one introduces the spherical functions: they are functions \(\varphi\) on \(G\) such that, for all \(x, y\in G\), \(\pi(_ x\varphi)(y) = \varphi(x)\varphi(y)\). The bounded spherical functions define the characters of the commutative Banach algebra \(L^ 1_ \pi(G)\). These preliminaries are applied in the case where \(G\) is a nilpotent \(H\)- group \(N\), and when \(G = NA\) is the semi-direct product of \(N\) with \(A = \mathbb{R}^ +\) acting on \(N\) by dilations. Using a generalized Cayley transform one can identify \(NA\) with a ball in the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak s\) of \(S\). One defines an averaging operator \(\pi\) such that the \(\pi\)- radial functions are radial in the usual sense. One of the main results is that \(L^ 1_ \pi(G)\) is commutative. As a consequence it follows that \(NA\) is a harmonic Riemannian manifold, proving that the Lichnerowicz conjecture, saying that every harmonic Riemannian manifold should be a rank one Riemannian symmetric space, does not hold. The spherical functions are eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami operator \(\mathcal L\) of \(S\). It follows that they are solutions of a hypergeometric differential equation and can be determined explicitly. Finally one proves that the Martin boundary for \({\mathcal L}-\lambda\) of \(S\) is its one point compactification for \(\lambda \geq \lambda_ 0\), where \(\lambda_ 0\) is the upper bound of the \(L^ 2\)-spectrum of \(\mathcal L\).