Mean dimension of product spaces: a fundamental formula (Q6184760)

The mean dimension of a topological dynamical system was introduced by \textit{M. Gromov} [Math. Phys. Anal. Geom. 2, No. 4, 323--415 (1999; Zbl 1160.37322)] and developed into a powerful theory by \textit{E. Lindenstrauss} and \textit{B. Weiss} [Isr. J. Math. 115, 1--24 (2000; Zbl 0978.54026)]. For continuous actions of a countable discrete amenable group \(G\) on compact metric spaces \(X\) and \(Y\) the product inequality for mean dimension states that \(\operatorname{mdim}(X\times Y,G)\leqslant \operatorname{mdim}(X,G)+\operatorname{mdim}(Y,G)\). \textit{M. Tsukamoto} [Isr. J. Math. 230, No. 1, 183--193 (2019; Zbl 1417.37073)] constructed examples to show that the inequality may be strict, but the problem of whether this is possible for the Cartesian square situation \(X=Y\) was left open. In contrast to the purely topological case, the main result here is that \(\operatorname{mdim}(X\times X,G)= 2\operatorname{mdim}(X,G)\) (and the same for higher Cartesian powers), which completes the picture for mean dimensions of products in this context.