Quasi-invariant states

Abstract

We develop the theory of quasi--invariant (resp. strongly quasi--invariant) states under the action of a group $G$ of normal $*$--automorphisms of a $*$--algebra (or von Neumann alegbra) $\mathcal{A}$. We prove that these states are naturally associated to left--$G$--$1$--cocycles. If $G$ is compact, the structure of strongly $G$--quasi--invariant states is determined. For any $G$--strongly quasi--invariant state $\varphi$, we construct a unitary representation associated to the triple $(\mathcal{A},G,\varphi)$. We prove, under some conditions, that any quantum Markov chain with commuting, invertible and hermitean conditional density amplitudes on a countable tensor product of type I factors is strongly quasi--invariant with respect to the natural action of the group $\mathcal{S}_{\infty}$ of local permutations and we give the explicit form of the associated cocycle. This provides a family of non--trivial examples of strongly quasi--invariant states for locally compact groups obtained as inductive limit of an increasing sequence of compact groups.