A dichotomy property for locally compact groups (Q1635683)

The authors give, in metrizable locally compact groups, a version of Rosenthal's \(\ell_1\)-dichotomy theorem. For \(G\) a locally compact group, the authors define the weak topology on \(G\), that coincides with the Bohr topology when \(G\) is abelian. They extend to general locally compact groups, not necessarily abelian, the notion of \(I_0\)-set introduced in 1964 by Hartman and Ryll-Nardzewski in the abelian setting (see, for example \textit{C. C. Graham} and \textit{K. E. Hare} [Interpolation and Sidon sets for compact groups, CMS Books in Mathematics/Ouvrages de Mathématiques de la SMC, Series Profile (2013; Zbl 1267.43001)], Chapter 3), and they prove that every sequence in a metrizable locally compact group contains either a weak Cauchy subsequence or an \(I_0\) set. For that, they extend the Rosenthal dichotomy theorem (\textit{H. P. Rosenthal} [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 71, 2411--2413 (1974; Zbl 0297.46013)]) and the Bourgain-Fremlin-Talagrand theorem (\textit{J. Bourgain} et al. [Am. J. Math. 100, 845--886 (1978; Zbl 0413.54016)]) to sequences of functions defined on a Polish space and with values in a metric space. They point out that the result fails without the assumption of metrizability, even in the compact case. Next, they define the notion of \textit{weak Sidon set} and, using the fact that \(I_0\) sets are weak Sidon, they obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of weak Sidon sets in locally compact groups. Whether every infinite discrete non-abelian group does contain a weak Sidon set is an old open question of Figà-Talamanca (1977). Finally, they show that every locally compact group respects compactness (see the paper under review for the definition), extending a result of \textit{W. W. Comfort} et al. [Fundam. Math. 143, No. 2, 119--136 (1993; Zbl 0812.22001)].