Semisimple orbits of Lie algebras and card-shuffling measures on Coxeter groups (Q1970984)

The author uses random walks on the chambers of hyperplane arrangements in order to define a family of measures \(H_{W,x}\) for a finite Coxeter group \(W\) and real \(x\neq 0\). For type A groups these measures were constructed (in a different way) by \textit{D. Bayer} and \textit{P. Diaconis} [Ann. Appl. Probab. 2, No. 2, 294-313 (1992; Zbl 0757.60003)] in their mathematical study of card shuffling. It is known that there is a natural map from the semisimple orbits of the adjoint action of a finite group of Lie type on its Lie algebra to the conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. The uniform distribution on semisimple orbits induces a probability measure on the conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. Conditions are found for this measure to coincide with the measure arising from \(H_{W,x}\). Connections with algebraic number theory are discussed.