The action of the Thompson group \(F\) on infinite trees (Q6073804)

Thompson's group \(F\) is the group of piecewise-affine bijections of \([0,1]\) with slopes in \(2^{\mathbb{Z}}\) and breakpoints in \(\mathbb{Z}[1/2]\). It is finitely presented and an important example in geometric group theory. The present paper studies the unitary representation of \(F\) on \(\ell^2(F/H_2)\), where \(H_2\) is the subgroup of \(F\) in which slopes are in \(4^{\mathbb{Z}}\). The authors first identify the coset space \(F/H_2\) with a collection \(\Omega_2\) of partitions \[ [0,1]=Y_0\sqcup Y_1; \] the map associates a coset \(H_2 f\) with the partition in which \(Y_i\) contains points at which \(f\) has slopes in \(2^{2\mathbb{Z}+i}\). By putting a totally disconnected topology on \([0,1]\) (splitting it at every element of \(\mathbb{Z}[1/2]\)), they imbed \(\Omega_2\) into a Cantor set, and consider its compactification there. The main result (Theorem 3.3) is a precise identification of those partitions that may occur in \(\Omega_2\); they are those for which \(Y_0\) has measure of the form \((3k+2)/2^{2m+1}\).