Central limit theorem on CAT(0) spaces with contracting isometries

Abstract

Let $G$ be a group with a non-elementary action on a proper CAT(0) space $X$, and let $\mu$ be a measure on $G$ such that the random walk $(Z_n)_n$ generated by $\mu$ has finite second moment on $X$. Let $o$ be a basepoint in $X$, and assume that there exists a rank one isometry in $G$. We prove that in this context, $(Z_n o )_n$ satisfies a Central Limit Theorem, namely that the random variables $\frac{1}{\sqrt{n}}(d(Z_n o, o) - n \lambda) $ converge in law to a non-degenerate Gaussian distribution $N_\mu$, for $\lambda$ the (positive) drift of the random walk. The strategy relies on the use of hyperbolic models introduced by H. Petyt, A. Zalloum and D. Spriano, which are analogues of curve graphs and cubical hyperplanes for the class of CAT(0) spaces. As a side result, we prove that the probability that the nth-step $Z_n$ acts on $X$ as a contracting isometry goes to 1 as $n$ goes to infinity.