A generalization of Birkhoff's pointwise ergodic theorem (Q1343731)

Let \(\Gamma\) be a countable group. A sequence \(\nu_n\) in the group algebra \(\ell^1(\Gamma)\) is said to be pointwise ergodic in \(L^p\) if, for any action of \(\Gamma\) on a probability space \((X, {\mathcal B}, m)\) by measure preserving transformations, and for all \(f\in L^p(X)\), \(\nu_n f(x)\to E_1 f(x)\) a.e. and in \(L^p\)-norm, where \(E_1\) is the conditional expectation with respect to the \(\sigma\)-algebra of invariant sets. If \(\Gamma= {\mathbf F}_r\) is the free group with \(r\) generators \((r\geq 2)\), one defines \[ \sigma_n= {1\over \# S_n} \sum_{w\in S_n} w,\qquad S_n= \{w\in {\mathbf F}_r\mid |w|= n\}, \] and the Cesàro averages \[ \mu_n= {1\over n+ 1} \sum^n_{k= 0} \sigma_k. \] One of the main results is that \(\mu_n\) is a pointwise ergodic sequence in \(L^p\) for \(1\leq p< \infty\). One first proves an \(L^p\) maximal inequality for the sequence \(\mu_n\). Further the measures \(\mu_n\) are embedded in an analytic family of complex Cesàro averages \[ S^\lambda_n= \sum^n_{k= 0} A^\lambda_{n- k} \sigma_k,\qquad A^\lambda_n= {(\lambda+ 1)(\lambda+ 2)\cdots (\lambda+ n)\over n!}\qquad (\lambda\in C). \] Then one considers the maximal functions \[ S^\lambda_* f(x)= \sup_{n\geq 0} \Biggl|{S^\lambda_n f(x)\over (n+ 1)^{\lambda+ 1}}\Biggr|, \] and the Littlewood-Paley square function \[ {\mathcal R}_m(f, x)^2= \sum^\infty_{k= 0} (k+ 1)^{2m- 1} |S^{- m- 1}_k f(x)|^2. \] This is the point where spectral theory comes in, the spectral theory of the convolution algebra \(A_r\) generated by \(\sigma_1\) in \(\ell^1(\Gamma)\): \[ |{\mathcal R}_m(f, x)|^2_2= \int_{\text{Sp }A_r} \sum^\infty_{k= 0} (k+ 1)^{2m- 1}|\varphi_z(S^{- m- 1}_k)|^2 d\nu_f(z), \] where \(\nu_f\) is the spectral measure of the operator \(\sigma_1\) for \(f\in L^2(X)\). The estimate of \(|{\mathcal R}_m(f, x)|^2_2\) follows from the exponential decay of the characters \(\varphi_z\) of \(A_r\). Finally, one uses an analytic interpolation theorem.