On a class of Markov semigroups on discrete ultra-metric spaces (Q438863)

Recall that an ultra-metric space \((X, d)\) is a metric space, its distance function satisfies a stronger triangle inequality \(d(x, y) \leq \max\{d(x, z); d(z, y)\}\) for all \(x, y, z \in X\). The authors consider a discrete ultra-metric space with a measure \(m\) and construct in a natural way a symmetric Markov semigroup \(\{P_t\}_{t\geq 0}\) in \(L^2 (X,m)\) and the corresponding Markov process \(\{X_t\}\). They prove upper and lower bounds of its transition function and its Green function, give a criterion for the transience, and estimate its moments. All of the results are new and succinctly stated. A nice feature of the paper is that the authors do not assume a group structure on \(X\) and so manage to get along without using the powerful methods of harmonic analysis such as the Fourier transform. Instead, the paper is based on the simple observation that the building blocks of the main operator are not only Markov operators, but also orthogonal projectors in \(L^2 (X,m)\).