A proof of Furstenberg's conjecture on the intersections of \(\times p\)- and \(\times q\)-invariant sets (Q2320599)

Furstenberg has made proved a number of influential results and made influential conjectures about so-called dynamically defined and dynamically independent systems. Among the most influential are questions and results about sets in \([0,1]\) which are simultaneously invariant under the \(\times p\)-map and the \(\times q\)-map, where \(p\) and \(q\) are multiplicatively independent. Recall that the \(\times p\)-map \(T_p\) is defined on \([0,1]\) by \(T_p x = \{px\}\), where \(\{x\}\) denotes the fractional part of \(x\) and similarly for the \(\times q\)-map. In the paper under review, one of these conjectures [\textit{H. Furstenberg}, Probl. Analysis, Sympos. in Honor of Salomon Bochner, Princeton Univ. 1969, 41--59 (1970; Zbl 0208.32203)] is resolved in the affirmative. It is shown that if \(A_p, B_q \subseteq [0,1]\) are invariant under the \(\times p\)-map and the \(\times q\)-map respectively, where \(p,q \in\mathbb{N}\) are multiplicatively independent, i.e., that \(\log p/ \log q \notin\mathbb{Q}\), and if \(u, v \in\mathbb{R}\), then \[ \dim_H(uA_p + v)\cap B_q \le \max\{0, \dim_H A_p + \dim_H B_q - 1\}. \] Here, \(\dim_H\) denotes Hausdorff dimension, so that the dimension of the intersection is no larger in the sense of Hausdorff dimension than it is expected to be. It was shown by Furstenberg [loc. cit.] that the result holds true if \(\dim_H A_p + \dim_H B_q \ge 1/2\). Thus, the remaining case to be proved is the case when \(\dim_H A_p + \dim_H B_q <1/2\), in which case it must be shown that the the Hausdorff dimension is equal to zero. The author accomplishes this by drawing on a number of branches of the theory of dynamical systems, including some methods originating in the work of Furstenberg. The paper is very well written.