A spectral gap property for random walks under unitary representations (Q2498415)

Let \(G\) be a locally compact group and \(\mu\) a probability measure on \(G\), which is not assumed to be absolutely continuous with respect to Haar measure. Given a unitary representation \((\pi ,\mathcal H)\) of \(G\), the authors study spectral properties of the operator \(\pi (\mu)\) acting on \(\mathcal H\). Assume that \(\mu\) is adapted and that the trivial representation \(1_G\) is not weakly contained in the tensor product \(\pi\otimes \overline\pi\). It is shown that \(\pi(\mu)\) has a spectral gap, that is, for the spectral radius \(r_{\text{spec}}(\pi(\mu))\) of \(\pi(\mu)\), we have \(r_{\text{spec}}(\pi(\mu)) < 1\). This provides a common generalization of several previously known results. Another consequence is that, if \(G\) has Kazhdan's property (T), then \(r_{\text{spec}}(\pi(\mu)) < 1\) for every unitary representation \(\pi\) of \(G\) without finite dimensional subrepresentations. Moreover, the authors give new examples of so-called identity excluding groups.