The number of topological generators for full groups of ergodic equivalence relations (Q472547)

Let \(\Gamma \) be a countable subgroup of \(\mathrm{Aut}(X,\mu)\), the group of measure-preserving automorphisms on a probability space \((X, \mu)\), and \(\mathcal{R}_{\Gamma} \) be the orbit equivalence on \(X\) induced by \(\Gamma\), i.e., \(x \mathcal{R}_{\Gamma} y \) iff there exists \(\gamma \in \Gamma \) such that \(x=\gamma y\). Consider the full group \([\mathcal{R}_{\Gamma}] \) of \(\Gamma\), which is the group of all \(\phi \in \mathrm{Aut}(X,\mu) \) such that \(\phi (x) \mathcal{R}_{\Gamma} x\), for all \(x\in X\). \([\mathcal{R}_{\Gamma}] \) is a Polish group and is instrumental in studying \(\mathcal{R}_{\Gamma}\). The minimal number of topological generators \(t([\mathcal{R} ]) \) for such topological groups were investigated by \textit{J. Kittrell} and \textit{T. Tsankov} [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 30, No. 2, 525--545 (2010; Zbl 1185.37010)]. Following a question of A. S. Kechris, they explored the connection between \(t([\mathcal{R} ]) \) and another invariant \(\mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R})\) by proving that if \(\mathcal{R} \) is a probability-preserving ergodic equivalence relation, then \(\mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R}) \) is finite iff \(t([\mathcal{R} ]) \) finite. In particular, they proved that \[ \lfloor \mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R}) \rfloor +1 \leq t([\mathcal{R} ]) \leq 3 (\lfloor \mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R}) \rfloor +1). \] In this concise and well-written article, the author further clarifies this relationship by proving that \[ t([\mathcal{R} ])= \lfloor \mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R}) \rfloor +1. \] He also proves that for any ergodic probability preserving equivalence relation \(\mathcal{R} \), \[ \mathrm{Cost}(\mathcal{R}) =\inf \big\{ \sum_{i=0}^{t([\mathcal{R}])} d_u (T_i, id) : \overline{\langle T_1, \dots T_{t([\mathcal{R} ])}\rangle}=[\mathcal{R} ] \big\}, \] where \(d_u \) is the usual metric on \(\mathrm{Aut} (X,\mu)\).