On Virtual Conjugacy of Generalized Odometers

Abstract

The paper is focused on the study of continuous orbit equivalence for generalized odometers (profinite actions). We show that two generalized odometers are continuously orbit equivalent if and only if the acting groups have finite index subgroups (having the same index) whose actions are piecewise conjugate. This result extends M.~Boyle's flip-conjugacy theorem originally established for $\mathbb Z$-actions. As a corollary we obtain a dynamical classification of the restricted isomorphism between generalized Bunce-Deddens $C^*$-algebras. We also show that the full group associated with a generalized odometer is amenable if and only if the acting group is amenable.