Measure rigidity for almost linear groups and its applications (Q2565372)

The paper strengthens and extends results of the authors [Invent. Math. 116, 347-392 (1994; Zbl 0816.22004)] to the case of almost linear groups. An almost linear group is a direct product \(G=\prod_{p\in S} G_p\) where every \(G_p\) is an extension of a certain type of a linear \(p\)-adic on a real Lie group \(G_p'\). An element \(g\in G\) is of class \({\mathcal A}\) if its image in \(G'= \prod_{p\in S} G_p'\) is of class \({\mathcal A}\) (in the sense of the paper mentioned above). Let \(H\) (resp. \(\Gamma)\) be a subgroup of \(G\) generated by 1-parameter unipotent subgroups and elements of class \({\mathcal A}\) (resp. a closed subgroup of \(G)\). Let \(\mu\) be an \(H\)-invariant \(H\)-ergodic probability measure on \(G/ \Gamma\) and let \(H_u\) denote the subgroup generated by all 1-parameter unipotent subgroups of \(H\). The main results of the paper are the following: (1) There exists a closed subgroup \(L\subset G\) such that \(L\supset H_u\) and almost every \(H_u\)-ergodic component of \(\mu\) is \(L\)-invariant and concentrated on a closed \(L\)-orbit measure on \(G/\Gamma\); (2) if \(P\subset G\) is the subgroup of elements which keep \(L\) invariant under conjugation and preserve the Haar measure on \(L\), then \(\mu\) is concentrated on a \(P\)-orbit on \(G/\Gamma\). After the paper under review was submitted for publication a paper of \textit{M. Ratner} [Duke Math. J. 77, 275-382 (1995)] appeared where some of the results are similar to ours but they are proved by different methods.