No label defined (Q4222619)

If \(f: \mathbb{T}^d\to\mathbb{R}\) is a piecewise smooth function on the \(d\)-dimensional torus and \(\alpha\) is an irrational rotation on the torus, then the resulting skew product \(S_f: \mathbb{T}^{d+1}\to \mathbb{T}^{d+1}\) is defined by \[ S_f(x, y)= (x+ \alpha, y+ f(x)), \] (measure-preserving with respect to Haar measure). It is shown that if the derivative of the gradient of \(f\) is non-zero, then \(S_f\) has continuous spectrum in each of the subspaces \(H_k= \{h(x)\exp(2\pi iky): h\in L^2(\mathbb{T}^d)\}\), \(k\in\mathbb{Z}\). This is sufficient to imply the ergodicity of \(S_f\). Conditions are given for the maps \(V= V_{f,\alpha}\), \(Vh(x)= \exp(2\pi if(x))h(x+ \alpha)\) to have singular spectrum. In the case of \(d=1\), the author's techniques are applied to generalize results of \textit{D. A. Pask} [Isr. J. Math. 69, No. 1, 65-74 (1990; Zbl 0703.28009)] giving a criterion for the ergodicity of cylinder flows on \(\mathbb{T}\times \mathbb{R}\) for real-valued piecewise absolutely continuous cocycles for which \(\int f= 0\), \(\int f'\neq 0\).