Canonical semigroups of states and cocycles for the group of automorphisms of a homogeneous tree (Q1411046)

Let \(G\) denote the group of automorphisms of a homogeneous tree \({\mathcal T}\) and let \(d(\nu,g\nu)\) denote the tree distance. For a fixed base vertex \(e\) in \({\mathcal T}\), the function \(\exp(-\mu d(e,ge))\) is positive definite on \(G\) and gives rise to a semigroup of states on \(G\) whose infinitesimal generator is conditionally positive definite, but not positive definite. Set \(d(g)= d(e,ge)\). The main result of the paper is an expression for \(-d\), in terms of a conditionally positive function corresponding to the special representation \(\text{sp}_-\), which is one of two inequivalent irreducible special representations of the group of automorphisms of \({\mathcal T}\). Other results generalize results by \textit{I. M. Gel'fand}, \textit{M. I. Graev} and \textit{A. M. Vershik} [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 69, Cambridge Univ. Press (1982)] and by \textit{S. I. Karpushev} and \textit{A. M. Vershik} [Mat. Sb., N. Ser. 119(161), No. 4(12), 521-533 (1982; Zbl 0513.43009)].