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12 votes
3 answers
891 views

Looking for at least one beautiful and not too technical result in asymptotic group theory

We have a student seminar devoted to the problems of asymptotic group theory with some connections to ergodic theory and measure theory in general. Each talk concerns one of the problems of this ...
23 votes
2 answers
7k views

What is a Gaussian measure?

Let $X$ be a topological affine space. A Gaussian measure on $X$ is characterized by the property that its finite-dimensional projections are multivariate Gaussian distributions. Is there a direct ...
1 vote
0 answers
177 views

Building random homeomorphisms of the torus $\mathbb T^2$

In https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.3423, a family of random homeomorphisms of the circle is constructed. Main Question: Can the construction be generalized to higher space dimensions, e.g. to $\mathbb T^2$?...
0 votes
0 answers
118 views

A measure on the group of homeomorphisms of $\mathbb T^2$

Let us consider the group of measure-preserving homeomorphisms of $\mathbb T^2$ (with transformations identified if they agree almost everywhere) called $G[\mathbb T^2, \mathcal L^2]$. We shall ...
9 votes
4 answers
1k views

Symmetries of probability distributions

When talking about a single random variable, knowing only its distribution, the construction of a probability space is quite easy. Namely, let $(X,\mathscr A)$ be a measurable space and let $\mathsf Q$...
11 votes
0 answers
263 views

Which results in probabilistic group theory generalize from finite groups to compact Hausdorff groups (and which don't)?

Let $G$ be a finite group. It has been shown that: If the probability that two randomly selected elements of $G$ generate an abelian group is greater than $5/8$, $G$ is abelian. If the probability ...
6 votes
1 answer
291 views

Comparing $X+Y$ and $X-Y$ for independent random variables with values in an abelian locally compact group

Let $G$ be an abelian locally (separable?) compact group with Haar measure $\mu$. Inspired by the interesting proof of A sum of two binomial random variables : Let $X$ and $Y$ be $G$-valued ...
32 votes
1 answer
4k views

Do invariant measures maximize the integral?

Update: The negative answer to the following question has been provided by Matthew Daws, who won, but also rejected, the bounty of 100 euro that I set over the question. Let $\mathcal M(\mathbb Z)$ ...
9 votes
3 answers
654 views

measure with given push-forwards

Let $X,Y$ be locally compact spaces (in my specific case, they are locally compact groups). Suppose that we are given a measure $\mu$ on $X$ and a finite number of quotient maps $p_1,\ldots,p_n:Y\...
3 votes
1 answer
263 views

Extending Tarski's Theorem on invariant measures

Tarski's Theorem says that if $G$ acts on $X$ and $E$ is a non-$G$-paradoxical subset of $X$, then there is a finitely additive $G$-invariant measure $\mu:2^X\to[0,\infty]$ with $\mu(E)=1$. I am ...
5 votes
1 answer
437 views

Stationary, ergodic measures from the structuralist point of view

Stationary, ergodic measures are a class of objects very familiar to probabilists. In a sense, these are the weakest generalization of the classic case of independent, identically distributed random ...
6 votes
0 answers
301 views

Generating stationary, ergodic random fields on a homogeneous space

Consider a homogeneous space $M$, which for the sake of concreteness, let's take to be $M = \mathbb R^d$. Fix some space $A$, and consider the space of functions $X = C(M,A)$, along with its Borel $\...
15 votes
3 answers
3k views

Entropy of a measure

Let $\mu$ be a probability measure on a set of $n$ elements and let $p_i$ be the measure of the $i$-th element. Its Shannon entropy is defined by $$ E(\mu)=-\sum_{i=1}^np_i\log(p_i) $$ with the ...