Some aspects of the classical potential theory on trees (Q2472507)

The authors study the axiomatic theory of potentials defined on a Cartier tree, by giving ``direct proofs'' for fundamental theorems about harmonic functions and potentials on the given tree. By Cartier tree the authors always mean a graph with infinite verices, connected, locally finite and no circuts, and furthermore equipped with a transition probability measure on its vertices. In his pioneer paper [Sympos. Math. 9, Calcolo Probab., Teor. Turbolenza 1971, 203--270 (1972; Zbl 0283.31005)], \textit{P. Cartier} introduced the notion of a Green function and then developped from that the notions of harmonic and potentials for the given tree. Thirty-one years later \textit{I. Bajunaid} [Adv. Appl. Math. 30, No. 4, 706--745 (2003; Zbl 1042.31004)] showed that the sheaf of harmonic functions defined on the vertices of a Cartier tree can be linearly extended to the edges, so that the sheaf of extended functions verify the three axioms of a Brelot harmonic space. The authors claim that on many occasions their ``direct proofs'' of theorems are simpler and give more information in comparaison to those deduced from the axiomatic theory. As a justification for their claim the authors pointed out that the ``Riesz representation theorem'' is not valid for superharmonic functions on a Cartier tree, however they are able to show that the converse of the above mentioned theorem is true here. Main results of the paper are clearly anounced in the introduction of the paper and it seems to be too long to quote all them here. Let us mention that in the section 4 of the paper under review the authors studies the potential theory associated with a ``subordinated transition probability measure'' in a Cartier tree and use it to the study harmonic functions associated with a Schrödinger equation of the following type, \[ \Delta u(x)=Q(x)u(x)\text{ for some }0\leq Q\text{ on the tree}. \]