Projective cocycles over SL(2,R) actions: measures invariant under the upper triangular group

Abstract

We consider the action of $SL(2,\mathbb{R})$ on a vector bundle $\mathbf{H}$ preserving an ergodic probability measure $\nu$ on the base $X$. Under an irreducibility assumption on this action, we prove that if $\hat\nu$ is any lift of $\nu$ to a probability measure on the projectivized bunde $\mathbb{P}(\mathbf{H})$ that is invariant under the upper triangular subgroup, then $\hat \nu$ is supported in the projectivization $\mathbb{P}(\mathbf{E}_1)$ of the top Lyapunov subspace of the positive diagonal semigroup. We derive two applications. First, the Lyapunov exponents for the Kontsevich-Zorich cocycle depend continuously on affine measures, answering a question in [MMY]. Second, if $\mathbb{P}(\mathbf{V})$ is an irreducible, flat projective bundle over a compact hyperbolic surface $\Sigma$, with hyperbolic foliation $\mathcal{F}$ tangent to the flat connection, then the foliated horocycle flow on $T^1\mathcal{F}$ is uniquely ergodic if the top Lyapunov exponent of the foliated geodesic flow is simple. This generalizes results in [BG] to arbitrary dimension.