Unique Cartan decomposition for II₁ factors arising from arbitrary actions of free groups

(C^*)-algebras and (W^*)-algebras in relation to group representations (22D25) General groups of measure-preserving transformations (28D15) Algebraic ergodic theory, cocycles, orbit equivalence, ergodic equivalence relations (37A20) General theory of von Neumann algebras (46L10) Classification of factors (46L36) Noncommutative dynamical systems (46L55)

Abstract: We prove that for any free ergodic probability measure preserving action F_n actson (X,mu) of a free group on n generators F_n, 2 leq n leq infty, the associated group measure space II_1 factor

L^{i} n f t y (X) t i m e s F_{n}

has L^infty(X) as its unique Cartan subalgebra, up to unitary conjugacy. We deduce that group measure space II_1 factors arising from actions of free groups with different number of generators are never isomorphic. We actually prove unique Cartan decomposition results for II_1 factors arising from arbitrary actions of a rather large family of groups, including all free products of amenable groups and their direct products.

Review text

This paper makes substantial contributions towards the understanding of unique Cartan decompositions, classification, and rigidity phenomena related to group measure space algebras. The main results are concerned with free ergodic probability-measure-preserving (pmp) actions \(\Gamma \curvearrowright (X,\mu)\) of \textit{weakly amenable} groups \(\Gamma\) on probability spaces \((X,\mu)\). One problem of major interest concerns the uniqueness of the Cartan subalgebra \(L^\infty(X)\) in the group measure space algebra \(L^\infty (X) \rtimes \Gamma\). One important result that applies to a broad class of infinite discrete groups states that if, in addition, \(\Gamma\) admits a proper \(1\)-cocycle into a non-amenable representation, or if (for instance) it has non-zero first \(\ell^2\)-Betti number, then \(L^\infty(X)\) is the unique Cartan subalgebra in \(L^\infty(X)\rtimes \Gamma\) up to unitary conjugacy. To illustrate the strength of this unique Cartan decomposition result, suppose that \({\mathbb F}_m \curvearrowright (X,\mu)\) and \({\mathbb F}_n \curvearrowright (Y,\eta)\) are two free ergodic pmp actions of the free groups \({\mathbb F}_m\) and \({\mathbb F}_n\) on \(m\) and respectively \(n\) generators. Combining the above result with a result of \textit{D. Gaboriau} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 95, 93--150 (2002; Zbl 1022.37002)], one concludes that if \(L^\infty (X)\rtimes {\mathbb F}_m \cong L^\infty (Y) \rtimes {\mathbb F}_n\), then \(m=n\). Important applications concerning wreath product groups and treeable ergodic pmp equivalence relations are also given. For instance, it is shown that if the group von Neumann algebras defined by the groups \({\mathbb Z}^{({\mathbb F}_m)} \rtimes {\mathbb F}_m\) and \({\mathbb Z}^{({\mathbb F}_n)} \rtimes {\mathbb F}_n\) are isomorphic, then \(m=n\). It is also proved that if \(L{\mathcal R}_1 \cong L{\mathcal R}_2\) for two treeable countable ergodic pmp equivalence relations \({\mathcal R}_1\) and \({\mathcal R}_2\), then \({\mathcal R}_1 \cong {\mathcal R}_2\). A relative strong solidity type dichotomy is established for a large class of weakly amenable groups \(\Gamma\): an amenable subalgebra \(A\) of an arbitrary crossed product \(B\rtimes \Gamma\), with \(B\) amenable, either embeds into \(B\) in Popa's sense of ``intertwining-by-bimodules or it has amenable normalizer. This extends ground-breaking work of \textit{N. Ozawa} [Acta Math. 192, No. 1, 111--117 (2004; Zbl 1072.46040)], \textit{N. Ozawa} and \textit{S. Popa} [Ann. Math. (2) 172, No. 1, 713--749 (2010; Zbl 1201.46054)], and \textit{I. Chifan} and \textit{T. Sinclair} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. (4) 46, No. 1, 1--33 (2013; Zbl 1290.46053)] on hyperbolic groups, and solidity and strong solidity in von Neumann algebras. Another application of unique Cartan decomposition establishes \(W^*\)-superrigidity of quotients of the generalized Bernoulli action \(\Gamma_1 \times \Gamma_2 \curvearrowright [0,1]^{\Gamma_1 \times \Gamma_2}\), where \(\Gamma_1\) and \(\Gamma_2\) are weakly amenable icc groups that admit a proper \(1\)-cocycle into a non-amenable representation. Finally, it is proved that if \(\Gamma\) and \(\Lambda\) are icc groups that satisfy the requirements from the main unique Cartan decomposition theorem, and act outerly on the hyperfinite II\(_1\) factor \(R\) and such that \(R\rtimes \Gamma \cong R\rtimes \Lambda\), then \(\Gamma \cong \Lambda\) and the actions of \(\Gamma\) and \(\Lambda\) on \(R\) are cocycle conjugated.

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