Free continuous actions on zero-dimensional spaces (Q818356)

Given any countably infinite group \(G\), the authors construct a free continuous action of \(G\) on the Cantor \(C\) set which has an invariant Borel probability measure. The construction uses the coset decompositions of \(G\) with respect to all of its cyclic subgroups. Moreover, for the same class of groups \(G\), they construct a free minimal continuous action of \(G\) on some nonhomogeneous compact metric space, where minimal means that all orbits are dense. Using the first existence result, they improve a characterization of amenability given by \textit{T. Giordano} and \textit{P. de la Harpe} [C.~R.~Acad.~Sci., Paris, Sér.~I Math.~324, 1255--1258 (1997; Zbl 0878.43003)]: a group \(G\) as above is amenable if and only if every minimal free continuous action of \(G\) on \(C\) admits an invariant probability measure. Giordano and de la Harpe needed the same property for every continuous action on \(C\). Finally, they construct a countable group \(H\) and a minimal continuous action of \(H\) on \(C\) such that no free continuous action of any countable group can induce the same equivalence relation on \(C\).