Word measures on \(\mathrm{GL}_N(q)\) and free group algebras (Q6622679)

Let \(F\) be the free group on \(r\) generators, let \(w \in F\), let \(K\) be a finite field with \(|K| = q\) and \(N\) a positive integer. A \(w\)-\emph{random element of} \(GL_N(K)\) is one obtained by sampling \(r\) independent uniformly random elements \(g_1, \ldots , g_r \in GL_N(K)\) and evaluating \(w(g_1, \ldots , g_r)\). Define \(\mathbb{E}_w(Fix)\) to be the average number of vectors in \(K^N\) fixed by a \(w\)-random element. Following a thread of ideas starting from [\textit{A. Nica}, Random Struct. Algorithms 5, No. 5, 703--730 (1994; Zbl 0808.60018)], the authors prove two main theorems -- first, that \(\mathbb{E}_w(Fix)\) is a rational function in \(q^N\); and second, that if \(w = u^d\) where \(u \in F\) is not a proper power, then \(\mathrm{lim}_{N\longrightarrow \infty}\mathbb{E}_w(Fix)\) depends only on \(d\) and not on \(u\). These results are first proved by what the authors describe as ``elementary linear algebra'', but then the proofs are recast in terms of the group algebra \(K[F]\). This second approach allows the authors to present some interesting connections between their earlier results and algebraic properties of \(K[F]\). A number of interesting questions and conjectures are included in the paper.