On mixing properties of compact group extensions of hyperbolic systems (Q696286)

In this remarkable paper the author gives an extensive analysis of dynamical properties of the simplest type of weakly hyperbolic dynamical systems. The systems he considers can be described as follows. Let \(F\) be a topologically mixing Axiom \(A\)-diffeomorphism of a closed manifold \(Y\). Let \(G\) be a compact connected simply-connected Lie group acting transitively on a homogeneous space \(X\). For every smooth function \(\tau: Y\to G\) one obtains a skew-action \(T(y,x)= (Fy, \tau(y)x)\) on \(M= Y\times X\). If \(\nu\) is any \(F\)-invariant measure on \(Y\) then \(\mu= \nu\times \text{Haar}\) is a \(T\)-invariant measure on \(M\). The goal of the paper is to study ergodic properties of \(\mu\) in the case that \(\nu\) is a Gibbs measure of a Hölder continuous function on \(Y\). For this the correlation function \(\rho: C^\infty(M)\times \mathbb{C}^\infty(M)\to \mathbb{R}^{\mathbb{N}}\) is introduced which assigns to smooth functions \(A\), \(B\) on \(M\) the sequence defined by \(\rho_{A,B}(n)= \int A(y,x) B(T^n(y,x)) d\mu(y,x)-\int A d\mu\int B d\mu\). The operator \(T\) is called rapidly mixing if for given \(k\) there are constants \(C,r>0\) such that \(|\rho_{A,B}|< C\|A\|_{C^r(M)}\|B\|_{C^r(M)} n^{-k}\). It turns out that this property is independent of the choice of the Gibbs measure \(\nu\), i.e. it only depends on \(T\). It is shown that \(T\) is rapidly mixing if and only if \(T\) satisfies a Diophantine accessibility condition. This turns out to be a generic condition. In the case that \(F\) is an Anosov diffeomorphism of an infra-nilmanifold one can say more. Namely, using a result of \textit{K. Burns} and \textit{A. Wilkinson} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 32, 859-889 (1999; Zbl 0942.37015)] he deduces that in this case for a suitable topology the interior of the space of rapidly mixing skew-products coincides with the interior of the space of ergodic skew products. This is in analogy with the behaviour of strictly hyperbolic diffeomorphisms. In particular, stable ergodicity is equivalent to stable rapid mixing. The proofs use in an essential way earlier results of \textit{M. I. Brin} [Math. Notes 18, 859-864 (1975; Zbl 0332.58010) and Funct. Anal. Appl. 9, 8-16 (1975; Zbl 0357.58011)] on compact group extensions of Axiom \(A\)-diffeomorphisms.