The dichotomy of harmonic measures of compact hyperbolic laminations (Q1940045)

For a leafwise \(C^{2}\) lamination \((M,\mathcal{F})\) with leafwise Riemannian metric, a measure on \(M\) is called harmonic if \(m(\Delta_{\mathcal{F}} f)=0\) for any leafwise \(C^{2}\) continuous function \(f\) on \(M\), where \(\Delta_{\mathcal{F}}\) is the leafwise Beltrami-Laplace operator. Harmonic measures have been a fundamental tool in foliation and lamination theory since they were introduced by \textit{L. Garnett} [J. Funct. Anal. 51, 285--311 (1983; Zbl 0524.58026)]. One of the advantages is that any compact leafwise \(C^{2}\) lamination admits a nontrivial harmonic measure, while laminations with nontrivial transverse invariant measures are special. A compact \(C^{2}\) lamination with leafwise Riemannian metric is called hyperbolic if each leaf has constant curvature \(-1\). The author defines two classes, Type I and II, of harmonic measures on hyperbolic laminations as follows: By disintegrating a harmonic measure \(m\) on a hyperbolic lamination, one obtains a positive harmonic function \(h\) up to the product of a constant on the universal cover of every leaf \(L\) in a conull set. By the Poisson integral formula [\textit{F. I. Karpelevich}, Trans. Mosc. Math. Soc. 14, 51--199 (1965); translation from Tr. Mosk. Mat. O.-va 14, 48--185 (1965; Zbl 0164.22202)], \(h\) is obtained by integrating the Poisson kernel with respect to a Borel measure \(\mu_{L}\) on the sphere at infinity of the universal cover of \(L\). The author calls \(m\) of Type I if the support of \(\mu_{L}\) is a point for any leaf in an \(m\)-conull set, and of Type II if the support of \(\mu_{L}\) is the whole sphere for any leaf in an \(m\)-conull set. The main result of this article is that an ergodic harmonic measure on a hyperbolic lamination is either of Type I or Type II. The proof is based on analysing the asymptotic behavior of the leafwise Brownian motion. The main result is described with a number of examples of harmonic measures on hyperbolic laminations of Type I and II. Some related problems are proposed.