The structure of automorphisms of real suspension flows

Abstract

AbstractThis paper is motivated by the connections between automorphisms of real suspension flows and ℝ2 suspension actions. Automorphisms which naturally lead to ℤ2-cocyles are examined from the viewpoint of covering theory in terms of an associated cylinder flow. A natural type of automorphisms (called simple) is analyzed via ergodic methods. It is shown that all automorphisms of suspensions built over minimal rotations on tori satisfy this condition. A more general approach using eigenfunctions extends this result to minimal affines, Furstenberg-type distal flows, certain nilmanifolds and a class of non-distal flows on the 2-torus.