Amenability, unimodularity, and the spectral radius of random walks on infinite graphs (Q908466)

Consider a locally finite, infinite connected graph \(G\) and a vertex-transitive group \(\Gamma\) of automorphisms of \(G\), closed with respect to pointwise convergence. The transition operator \(\mathcal P\) of the simple random walk on \(G\) has norm (spectral radius) \(\| \mathcal P\| =1\) if and only if \(\Gamma\) is both amenable and unimodular. If \(G\) has more than two ends, then \(\| \mathcal P\| <1\). If \(\Gamma\) is amenable then an explicit formula for \(\| \mathcal P\|\) is available even for more general transition operators. This allows, for example, easy calculation of the norm of radial transition operators on a homogeneous tree.