Smoothness of convolution powers of orbital measures on the symmetric space \(\mathrm{SU}(n)/\mathrm{SO}(n)\) (Q2655194)

Let \(G=\mathrm{SU}(n)\), \(K=\mathrm{SO}(n)\). For \(a\in G\), let \(\mu_a\) be the \(K\)-bi-invariant normalized measure on \(G\) supported on the double coset \(KaK\), and let \(\mu_a^k\) be the \(k\)-th convolution power of \(\mu_a\). In this paper, the authors prove that \(\mu_a^k\) is absolutely continuous with respect to the Haar measure \(m_G\) on \(G\) for every \(a\in G\setminus N_G(K)\) if and only if \(k\geq n\). They prove the ``only if'' part of the result by showing that if \(a=\text{diag}(t,\dots,t,t^{-(n-1)})\) with \(|t|=1\) and \(t^n\neq\pm1\), then \(\mu_a^{n-1}\) is singular to \(m_G\). This generalizes a special case of a result in \textit{D. Ragozin} [J. Funct. Anal. 17, 355--376 (1974; Zbl 0297.43002)]. As a consequence, the authors deduce that \(m_G((KaK)^k)>0\) for every \(a\in G\setminus N_G(K)\) if and only if \(k\geq n\). A similar result for the normalized measures on \(G\) which are invariant under the conjugacy action of \(G\) and supported on single conjugacy classes has been previously obtained in \textit{K. Hare}, \textit{D. Wilson} and \textit{W. L. Yee} [J. Aust. Math. Soc., Ser. A 69, No. 1, 61--84 (2000; Zbl 0994.43005)] and \textit{S. Gupta} and \textit{K. Hare} [Isr. J. Math. 130, 93--107 (2002; Zbl 1007.43009)]