No label defined (Q4499085)

The correlation between abstract ergodic theory of measure preserving transformations and topological dynamics on the one hand, and the theory of Lie groups and the theory of unitary group representations on the other, is the main feature of the present approach. The authors dedicate the book to mathematicians and graduate students with background in functional analysis, measure theory and the theory of Lie groups. It can be also recommended for medium level specialists both in ergodic theory and in Lie theory seeking for a direction of a wider exploration. The presentation of the material is concise but clear and complete. The main subject of the book are two types of group actions: the geodesic flow on the unit tangent bundle of a locally symmetric space, and unipotent actions on homogeneous spaces (e.g., the geodesic flow and the horocycle flow on the unit tangent bundle of a compact Riemann surface of constant negative curvature). The emphasis is put on the group-theoretic point of view and on the role of unitary group representation (for instance, in case of a compact Riemann surface both types of flows are identified with flows on the homogeneous space \(\Gamma\setminus \text{PSL}(2,\mathbb R)\), where \(\Gamma\) is the fundamental group of the Riemann surface, given by right translations by the diagonal and unipotent upper triangular matrices in \(\text{PSL}(2,\mathbb R)\), respectively). Chapter I provides a general background in ergodic theory and topological dynamics (Poincaré recurrence, ergodic theorems, ergodicity and mixing, existence of invariant measures for group actions). Chapter II is devoted to geodesic flows on locally symmetric spaces. Some background on hyperbolic geometry, Fuchsian groups, Dirichlet regions, locally symmetric spaces and their rank is provided. The main goal is the proof of Mautner's characterization of ergodicity in terms of the rank of the Riemannian symmetric space. In Chapter III we find a complete proof of the Howe-Moore theorem about vanishing at infinity of the coefficients of a matrix representation of a simple Lie group. This theorem is then applied to showing ergodicity and mixing of certain flows (Moore's theorem). In particular, the geodesic flow of rank 1 in Mautner's theorem is strongly mixing. Further, mixing of all orders is discussed: Ledrappier's example of a strongly mixing \(\mathbb Z^2\)@-action which is not mixing of all orders is described, next it is proved that any continuous ergodic action of a simple non-compact Lie group with finite center is mixing of all orders (theorem of Mozes). Chapter IV is devoted to the horocycle flow. After an introduction concerning the horocycle flow on a Riemann surface, Hedlund's minimality theorem is presented (saying that every orbit is either dense or periodic, and minimality holds for a cocompact lattice \(\Gamma\)). Then we find Ratner's proof of Dani's classification theorem of ergodic measures, of which Furstenberg's unique ergodicity of the horocycle flow in the cocompact case is an immediate consequence. Next, equidistribution of the horocycle flow is discussed (theorem of Dani-Smillie). Chapter V concerns the homogeneous space \(\text{SL}(n,\mathbb R)/\text{SL}(n,\mathbb Z)\). The Siegel sets are introduced and applied to show that \(\text{SL}(n,\mathbb Z)\) is a lattice in \(\text{SL}(n,\mathbb R)\). Mahler's compactness criterion for sets of unimodular lattices in \(\mathbb R^n\) is proved. Finally, a full proof of Margulis' lemma (uniform version) is presented (which is later applied in the next chapter). Chapter VI contains an application of the derived results to number theory. Namely, the authors present the formulation and solution of a strengthening of Oppenheim's conjecture concerning quadratic forms on \(\mathbb R^n\) (saying that the image of a non-degenerate indefinite irrational quadratic form is dense in \(\mathbb R\)). The presented proof is based on that of Dani and Margulis and uses dynamical properties of the action of unipotent one-parameter subgroups of \(\text{SO}(2,1)\) on \(\text{SL}(3,\mathbb R)/\text{SL}(3,\mathbb Z)\). The chapter is concluded by a discussion of four related conjectures (Raghunathan, Margulis, Dani, Dani-Margulis) and Ratner's results which provide answers to all of them.