Measure preserving transformations similar to Markov shifts (Q2655769)

A \(c\)-factor map between infinite measure-preserving systems \((X,\mathcal B,\mu,T)\) and \((X',\mathcal B',\mu',T')\) is a measurable map \(p:(X,\mathcal B)\to(X',\mathcal B')\) with \(p\circ T=T'\circ p\) and \(\mu\circ p^{-1}=c\mu'\). Infinite measure-preserving systems are said to be similar if they share an extension: that is, there are constants \(c_1{},c_2{}\in(0,\infty)\), a \(c_1\)-factor map onto the first system, and a \(c_2\)-factor map onto the second. Finite measure-preserving systems are always similar, but in the infinite measure setting this provides a nontrivial equivalence relation, and there are known to be uncountably many equivalence classes even within the family of renewal systems. In this paper a sufficient condition is found (in terms of return processes to reference sets of finite measure) for similarity to a Markov shift. This result is applied to study the measure-theoretic properties of some piecewise smooth maps with indifferent periodic points and to discrete random walks.