Locally compact sofic entropy theory (Q7017016)

The classical notion of measure-theoretic entropy for a probability measure-preserving action of \(\mathbb{Z}\) was introduced into ergodic theory in the 1950s by \textit{A. N. Kolmogorov} [Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 119, 861--864 (1958; Zbl 0083.10602)] and continues to play a central role across multiple aspects of dynamical systems. Entropy (and the associated isomorphism theorems and distinguished classes of systems) was generalized to actions of countable amenable groups (see the major work of \textit{D. S. Ornstein} and \textit{B. Weiss} [J. Anal. Math. 48, 1--141 (1987; Zbl 0637.28015)] and its references for the history) and to actions of \(\mathbb{R}^n\) by \textit{J. Feldman} [Isr. J. Math. 36, 321--345 (1980; Zbl 0445.28019)]. The author found a meaningful way to extend much of the theory to the setting of countable sofic groups [J. Am. Math. Soc. 23, No. 1, 217--245 (2010; Zbl 1201.37005)]. \N\NThe purpose of this paper is to further extend entropy theory by removing the hypothesis that the acting group is countable, replacing it with local compactness. Several open questions are formulated, raising in particular the questions of how this relates to the notion of spatial entropy developed by Ornstein and Weiss [loc. cit.] in the case of amenable unimodular group actions and whether there is a distinguished class of actions for which these definitions give an isomorphism theorem.