Skip to main content
Log in

A new family of representations of virtually free groups

  • Published:
Mathematische Zeitschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We construct a new family of irreducible unitary representations of a finitely generated virtually free group Λ. We prove furthermore a general result concerning representations of Gromov hyperbolic groups that are weakly contained in the regular representation, thus implying that all the representations in this family can be realized on the boundary of Λ. As a corollary, we obtain an analogue of Herz majorization principle.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Anantharaman-Delaroche, C.: Amenability and exactness for dynamical systems and their C *-algebras. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 354(10), 4153–4178 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Anantharaman-Delaroche C.: On spectral characterizations of amenability. Isr. J. Math. 137, 1–33 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Adams S.: Boundary amenability for word hyperbolic groups and an application to smooth dynamics of simple groups. Topology 33(4), 765–783 (1994)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Anantharaman, C., Renault, J.: Amenable groupoids. In: Groupoids in Analysis, Geometry, and Physics (Boulder, CO., 1999). Contemp. Math., vol. 282, pp. 35–46. Amer. Math. Soc., Providence (2001)

  5. Bekka M., Cowling M., de la Harpe P.: Some groups whose reduced C *-algebra is simple. Inst. Hautes Études Sci. Publ. Math. 80, 117–134 (1995)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Burger M., de la Harpe P.: Constructing irreducible representations of discrete groups. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. Math. Sci. 107(3), 223–235 (1997)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Bader U., Muchnik R.: Boundary unitary representations—irreducibility and rigidity. J. Mod. Dyn. 5(1), 49–69 (2011)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Dixmier, J.: Les C *-algèbres et leurs représentations. Cahiers Scientifiques, Fasc XXIX, Gauthier-Villars & Cie, Éditeur-Imprimeur, Paris (1964)

  9. de la Harpe, P.: Groupes hyperboliques, algèbres d’opérateurs et un thèorème de Jolissaint. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris Sèr. I Math. 307(14), 771–774 (1988)

  10. de la Harpe, P., Ghys, É. (eds.): Sur les groupes hyperboliques d’après Mikhael Gromov. In: Progress in Mathematics, vol. 83. Birkhäuser, Boston, 1990. Papers from the Swiss Seminar on Hyperbolic Groups held in Bern (1988)

  11. Fell J.M.G.: The dual spaces of C *-algebras. Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 94, 365–403 (1960)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. Howe, R., Tan, E.-C.: Nonabelian harmonic analysis. Applications of S L(2, R). Universitext. Springer, New York (1992)

  13. Iozzi, A., Kuhn, M.G., Steger, T.: Stability properties of multiplicative representations of the free group. (preprint 2011)

  14. Kaimanovich, V.A.: Boundary amenability of hyperbolic spaces. In: Discrete Geometric Analysis. Contemp. Math., vol. 347, pp. 83–111. Amer. Math. Soc., Providence (2004)

  15. Karrass, A., Pietrowski, A., Solitar, D.: Finite and infinite cyclic extensions of free groups. J. Austral. Math. Soc. 16, 458–466 (1973). Collection of articles dedicated to the memory of Hanna Neumann, IV

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kuhn M.G., Steger T.: More irreducible boundary representations of free groups. Duke Math. J. 82(2), 381–436 (1996)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Kuhn M.G., Steger T.: Monotony of certain free group representations. J. Funct. Anal. 179(1), 1–17 (2001)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  18. Kuhn M.G., Steger T.: Free group representations from vector-valued multiplicative functions. I. Isr. J. Math. 144, 317–341 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Kuhn M.G.: Amenable actions and weak containment of certain representations of discrete groups. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 122(3), 751–757 (1994)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  20. Mackey, G.W.: The Theory of Unitary Group Representations. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, (1976) (Based on notes by James M. G. Fell and David B. Lowdenslager of lectures given at the University of Chicago, Chicago, 1955, Chicago Lectures in Mathematics)

  21. Oh H.: Uniform pointwise bounds for matrix coefficients of unitary representations and applications to Kazhdan constants. Duke Math. J. 113(1), 133–192 (2002)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  22. Ohshika, K.: Discrete groups. In: Translations of Mathematical Monographs, vol. 207. American Mathematical Society, Providence (2002) (Translated from the 1998 Japanese original by the author, Iwanami Series in Modern Mathematics.)

  23. Poguntke D.: Decomposition of tensor products of irreducible unitary representations. Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 52(196), 427–432 (1975)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  24. Powers R.T.: Simplicity of the C *-algebra associated with the free group on two generators. Duke Math. J. 42, 151–156 (1975)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. Renault, J.: A groupoid approach to C *-algebras. In: Lecture Notes in Mathematics, vol. 793. Springer, Berlin (1980)

  26. Takesaki, M.: Theory of operator algebras, II. Encyclopaedia of Mathematical Sciences, vol. 125. Springer, Berlin. Operator Algebras and Non-commutative Geometry, vol. 6 (2003)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Gabriella Kuhn.

Additional information

A. Iozzi was partial supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation project 2000021-127016/2; M.G. Kuhn and T. Steger were partially supported by PRIN.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Iozzi, A., Kuhn, M.G. & Steger, T. A new family of representations of virtually free groups. Math. Z. 274, 167–184 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00209-012-1062-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00209-012-1062-4

Keywords

Mathematics Subject Classification (1991)

Navigation