Random walks on SL_2(C): spectral gap and local limit theorems

Tien-Cuong Dinh, Lucas Kaufmann, Hao Wu

Published 2021-06-08Version 1

We obtain new limit theorems for random walks on SL_2(C) under low moment conditions. For non-elementary measures with a finite second moment we prove a Local Limit Theorem for the norm cocycle, yielding the optimal version of a theorem of \'E. Le Page. We also obtain a Local Limit Theorem for the matrix coefficients under a third moment condition, improving a recent result of Grama-Quint-Xiao. The main tool is a detailed study of the spectral properties of the Markov operator and its purely imaginary perturbations acting on different function spaces. We introduce, in particular, a new function space derived from the Sobolev space W^{1,2} that provides uniform estimates.