An absorption theorem for minimal AF equivalence relations on Cantor sets (Q998938)

Minimal \(\mathbb Z\)-actions and \(\mathbb Z^2\)-actions on Cantor sets have been classified up to orbit equivalence [\textit{T. Giordano, I. F. Putnam} and \textit{C. F. Skau}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 469, 51--111 (1995; Zbl 0834.46053); \textit{T. Giordano, H. Matui, I. F. Putnam} and \textit{C. F. Skau}, Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 28, No. 5, 1509--1531 (2008; Zbl 1166.37004)]. The strategy is to prove that the equivalence relation associated with the given minimal action is orbit equivalent to an AF relation. Recall that an étale equivalence relation \(R\) is called an AF relation, if there exists an increasing sequence \(R_1\subset R_2\subset\cdots\) of compact open subrelations of \(R\) such that \(R=\cup_{n\in{\mathbb N}}R_n\). To prove this, a key step is to prove the absorption theorem [\textit{T. Giordano, I. F. Putnam} and \textit{C. F. Skau}, Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 24, No. 2, 441--475 (2004; Zbl 1074.37010)]. However, the proof method of the absorption theorem in the case of minimal \(\mathbb Z^2\)-actions cannot be generalized to the case of minimal \(\mathbb Z^d\)-actions directly for \(d\geq 3\). The aim of the present paper is to generalize the absorption theorem which is needed for the study of \(\mathbb Z^d\)-actions.