Characterisations of algebraic properties of groups in terms of harmonic functions
Matthew C.H. Tointon
University of Cambridge, UK
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Abstract
We prove various results connecting structural or algebraic properties of graphs and groups to conditions on their spaces of harmonic functions. In particular: we show that a group with a finitely supported symmetric measure has a finite-dimensional space of harmonic functions if and only if it is virtually cyclic; we present a new proof of a result of V. Trofimov that an infinite vertex-transitive graph admits a non-constant harmonic function; we give a new proof of a result of T. Ceccherini-Silberstein, M. Coornaert and J. Dodziuk that the Laplacian on an infinite, connected, locally finite graph is surjective; and we show that the positive harmonic functions on a non-virtually nilpotent linear group span an infinite-dimensional space.
Cite this article
Matthew C.H. Tointon, Characterisations of algebraic properties of groups in terms of harmonic functions. Groups Geom. Dyn. 10 (2016), no. 3, pp. 1007–1049
DOI 10.4171/GGD/375