Spectra of random M-extensions (Q1283329)

An \(M\)-extension is an analog of generalized Morse extension introduced by \textit{M. Keane} [Z. Wahr. Verw. Geb. 10, 335-353 (1968; Zbl 0162.07201)]. It is defined as a skew product \(T_\varphi(x,g)=(Tx,g+\varphi(x))\), where \((X,T)\) is a rank-one transformation and \(\varphi:X\to G\) is a cocycle into a compact abelian group, assuming constant values on all but last levels of each tower appearing in the inductive cutting-and-stucking construction of the transformation \(T\). If \(T\) is fixed, then there is a natural distribution on the set of all such cocycles: inductively, for each tower the values of \(\varphi\) on those levels where not defined in previous steps (excluding the highest level) are chosen independently and randomly, according to the Haar measure on \(G\). In the article some spectral properties of \(T_\varphi\) are shown to be typical (almost sure) for such random choice of \(\varphi\). Namely, it is shown that: (1) for a fixed \(M\)-extension \(T_{\varphi'}'\) and a rank-one transformation \(T\) (satisfying a natural technical assumption), almost every cocycle \(\varphi\) yields a spectral type of \(T_\varphi\) singular to that of \(T_{\varphi'}'\) (on the orthocomplement to the space \(L^2(X)\) of functions depending only on the first variable); (2) almost every \(M\)-extension has simple spectrum; (3) with an assumption on the number of cuts and spacers in the cutting-and-stucking construction of \(T\) almost every \(T_\varphi\) has continuous spectrum on \({L^2(X)}^{\bot}\); (4) almost every Morse extension has continuous spectrum on \({L^2(X)}^{\bot}\).