arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Andy Zucker.
Answering a question of Uspenskij, we prove that if $X$ is a closed manifold of dimension $2$ or higher or the Hilbert cube, then the universal minimal flow of $\mathrm{Homeo}(X)$ is not metrizable. In dimension $3$ or higher, we also show that the minimal $\mathrm{Homeo}(X)$-flow consisting of all maximal, connected chains in $X$ has meager orbits.
Generalizing a result of Furstenberg, we show that for every infinite discrete group $G$, the Bernoulli flow $2^G$ is disjoint from every minimal $G$-flow. From this, we deduce that the algebra generated by the minimal functions $\mathfrak{A}(G)$ is a proper subalgebra of $\ell^\infty(G)$ and that the enveloping semigroup of the universal minimal flow $M(G)$ is a proper quotient of the universal enveloping semigroup $βG$. When $G$ is countable, we also prove that for any metrizable, minimal $G$-flow, there exists a free, minimal flow disjoint from it and that there exist continuum many mutually disjoint minimal, free, metrizable $G$-flows. Finally, improving a result of Frisch, Tamuz, and Vahidi Ferdowsi and answering a question of theirs, we show that if $G$ is a countable icc group, then it admits a free, minimal, proximal flow.
Let $G$ be a locally compact Polish group. A metrizable $G$-flow $Y$ is called model-universal if by considering the various invariant probability measures on $Y$, we can recover every free action of $G$ on a standard Lebesgue space up to isomorphism. Weiss has shown that for countable $G$, there exists a minimal, model-universal flow. In this paper, we extend this result to all locally compact Polish groups.
For $G$ a Polish group, we consider $G$-flows which either contain a comeager orbit or have all orbits meager. We single out a class of flows, the maximally highly proximal (MHP) flows, for which this analysis is particularly nice. In the former case, we provide a complete structure theorem for flows containing comeager orbits, generalizing theorems of Melleray-Nguyen Van Thé-Tsankov and Ben Yaacov-Melleray-Tsankov. In the latter, we show that any minimal MHP flow with all orbits meager has a metrizable factor with all orbits meager, thus "reflecting" complicated dynamical behavior to metrizable flows. We then apply this to obtain a structure theorem for Polish groups whose universal minimal flow is distal.
Given any pair of countable groups $G$ and $H$ with $G$ infinite, we construct a minimal, free, Cantor $G$-flow $X$ so that $H$ embeds into the group of automorphisms of $X$.
Given a countable group $G$, we say that a metrizable flow $Y$ is model-universal if by considering the various invariant measures on $Y$, we can recover every free measure-preserving $G$-system up to isomorphism. Weiss has constructed a minimal model-universal flow. In this note, we provide a new, streamlined construction, allowing us to show that a minimal model-universal flow is far from unique.
We show that any discrete group containing an infinite, normal, maximally almost periodic subgroup has the Bernoulli Disjointness Property, or BDJ. Also, any group containing enough infinite normal subgroups to separate points has the BDJ. Lastly, any group admitting a minimal free proximal flow has the BDJ.
We study problems concerning the Samuel compactification of the automorphism group of a countable first-order structure. A key motivating question is a problem of Furstenberg and a counter-conjecture by Pestov regarding the difference between $S(G)$, the Samuel compactification, and $E(M(G))$, the enveloping semigroup of the universal minimal flow. We resolve Furstenberg's problem for several automorphism groups and give a detailed study in the case of $G = S_\infty$, leading us to define and investigate several new types of ultrafilter on a countable set.
We provide a new proof of a recent theorem of Ben-Yaacov, Melleray, and Tsankov. If $G$ is a Polish group and $X$ is a minimal, metrizable $G$-flow with all orbits meager, then the universal minimal flow $M(G)$ is non-metrizable. In particular, we show that given $X$ as above, the universal highly proximal extension of $X$ is non-metrizable.
We define and undertake a systematic study of thick, syndetic, and piecewise syndetic subsets of a Fraïssé structure. Each of these collections forms a family in the sense of Akin and Glasner [AG], and we define and study ultrafilters on each of these families, paying special attention to ultrafilters on the thick sets. In the process, we generalize many results of Bergelson, Hindman, and McCutcheon [BHM]. We also discuss some abstract questions about families implicit in the work of Akin and Glasner.
We consider Fraïssé structures whose objects have finite big Ramsey degree and ask what consequences this has for the dynamics of the automorphism group. Motivated by a theorem of D. Devlin about the partition properties of the rationals, we define the notion of a big Ramsey structure, a single structure which codes the big Ramsey degrees of a given Fraïssé structure. This in turn leads to the definition of a completion flow; we show that if a Fraïssé structure admits a big Ramsey structure, then the automorphism group admits a unique universal completion flow. We also discuss the problem of when big Ramsey structures exist and explore connections to the notion of oscillation stability defined by Kechris, Pestov, and Todorčević
For $G$ a closed subgroup of $S_{\infty}$, we provide an explicit characterization of the greatest $G$-ambit. Using this, we provide a precise characterization of when $G$ has metrizable universal minimal flow. In particular, each such instance fits into the framework of metrizable flows developed by Kechris-Pestov-Todorcevic and Nguyen Van Thé; as a consequence, each $G$ with metrizable universal minimal flow has the generic point property.
In this paper we provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the amenability of the automorphism group of Fraïssé structures and apply it to prove the non-amenability of the automorphism groups of the directed graph $\mathbf{S}(3)$ and the Boron tree structure $\mathbf{T}$. Also, we provide a negative answer to the Unique Ergodicity-Generic Point problem of Angel-Kechris-Lyons [AKL]. By considering $\mathrm{GL}(\mathbf{V}_\infty)$, where $\mathbf{V}_\infty$ is the countably infinite dimensional vector space over a finite field $F_q$, we show that the unique invariant measure on the universal minimal flow of $\mathrm{GL}(\mathbf{V}_\infty)$ is not supported on the generic orbit.