An inverse theorem for the uniformity seminorms associated with the action of \(\mathbb F_p^\infty\) (Q2379372)

The authors study the structure theory of measure preserving actions of abelian groups. The paper relies heavily on the language of abelian cohomology of dynamical systems. The main result is the following. Given a finite field \(\mathbb F\) and an ergodic action \((T_g)_{g\in\mathbb F^\omega}\) of the infinite abelian subgroup \(\mathbb F^\omega\) on a probability space \((X,\mathbb B,\mu)\), the universal characteristic factor for the Gowers-Host-Kra uniformity seminorm \(U^k(X)\) is generated by phase polynomials of degrees \(\leq C(k)\) on \(X\), where \(C(k)\) depends only on \(k\). In the case where \(k\leq \text{char}(\mathbb F)\), they obtain the sharp result \(C(k)=k\). This result is a finite field counterpart of a result for \(\mathbb Z\) by \textit{B. Host} and \textit{B. Kra}, Ann. Math. (2) 161, No.~1, 397--488 (2005; Zbl 1077.37002)]. Tao and Ziegler use the results of the paper under review, together with a version of the Furstenberg correspondence principle and an equidistribution theorem by Green and Tao, to obtain the inverse theorem for the Gowers norm in finite fields in the high characteristic case \(k\leq \text{char}(\mathbb F)\), with a partial result in low characteristoc, see [\textit{T. Tao} and \textit{T. Ziegler}, Anal. PDE 3, No. 1, 1--20 (2010; Zbl 1252.11012)]. The paper ends with five appendices on the following subjects: the general theory of Gowers-Host-Kra seminorms, abelian cohomology, a measurable selection lemma, algebraic facts related to the fact that the underlying field \(\mathbb{F}\) has finite characteristic, and on the connection between the notions of polynomiality and type used in this paper with the theory of cubic complexes as used in topology.