Mean topological dimension for actions of discrete amenable groups (Q2569361)

Let \(G\) be an amenable group acting on the compact metrizable space, \(X.\) \textit{M. Gromov} [Math. Phys. Anal. Geom. 2, 323--415 (1999; Zbl 1160.37322)] introduced the mean topological dimension mdim\((X,G)\) to study properties of spaces of harmonic maps. Loosely speaking, it is defined by averaging multiplicities of open covers of \(X\) pulled back to the group via the action of \(G\) on \(X.\) Mean topological dimension was used by \textit{E. Lindestrauss} and \textit{B. Weiss} [Isr. J. Math. 115, 1--24 (2000; Zbl 0978.54026)] to prove the existence of a minimal \(\mathbb{Z}\) action on a compact metrizable space that cannot be embedded in the shift on \([0,1]^\mathbb{Z}.\) If \(K\) is a compact metrizable symbol space and \(X\) is a closed subshift of the \(G\)-shift on \(K^G\) one has mdim\((X,G)\leq\dim K\) with equality when \(X=K^G\) and \(K\) is a polyhedron, (see Corollaries 4.2 and 5.5). After defining mean topological dimension in two ways, the authors work through some dimension-theoretic properties of mdim. The main result of the paper gives a partial answer to the question: what values can mdim\((X,G)\) assume for closed subshifts of \(K^G\)? Their answer is Theorem 1.1, which says that in certain cases (\(G\) a countable amenable group with subgroups of arbitrarily large finite index and \(K\) a polyhedron) given any \(0\leq\rho\leq \dim(K)\) there is a closed subshift \(X\subset K^G\) such that mdim\((X,G)=\rho.\) Given such a \(\rho\) their proof constructs an \(X\) with the required properties. Finally, since there exist polynomials of any dimension and since the \(G\)-shift on \(K^G\), where \(K\) is the Hilbert cube, has infinite mean topological dimension, the authors conclude (Corollary 1.2) that if \(G\) is a countable amenable group containing subgroups of arbitrarily large finite index, then for any \(\rho\in[0,\infty]\) there is a compact metrizable \(G\)-space \(X\) with mdim\((X,G)=\rho.\)