## Electronic Journal of Probability

### Eigenvalues of Random Wreath Products

Steven Evans

#### Abstract

Consider a uniformly chosen element $X_n$ of the $n$-fold wreath product $\Gamma_n = G \wr G \wr \cdots \wr G$, where $G$ is a finite permutation group acting transitively on some set of size $s$. The eigenvalues of $X_n$ in the natural $s^n$-dimensional permutation representation (the composition representation) are investigated by considering the random measure $\Xi_n$ on the unit circle that assigns mass $1$ to each eigenvalue.  It is shown that if $f$ is a trigonometric polynomial, then  $\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty} P\{\int f d\Xi_n \ne s^n \int f d\lambda\}=0$, where $\lambda$ is normalised Lebesgue measure on the unit circle. In particular, $s^{-n} \Xi_n$ converges weakly in probability to $\lambda$ as $n \rightarrow \infty$.  For a large class of test functions $f$ with non-terminating Fourier expansions, it is shown that there exists a constant $c$ and a non-zero random variable $W$ (both depending on $f$) such that $c^{-n} \int f d\Xi_n$ converges in distribution as $n \rightarrow \infty$ to $W$.  These results have applications to Sylow $p$-groups of symmetric groups and autmorphism groups of regular rooted trees.

#### Article information

Source
Electron. J. Probab., Volume 7 (2002), paper no. 9, 15 pp.

Dates
Accepted: 2 April 2002
First available in Project Euclid: 16 May 2016

https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ejp/1463434882

Digital Object Identifier
doi:10.1214/EJP.v7-108

Mathematical Reviews number (MathSciNet)
MR1902842

Zentralblatt MATH identifier
1013.15006

Rights

#### Citation

Evans, Steven. Eigenvalues of Random Wreath Products. Electron. J. Probab. 7 (2002), paper no. 9, 15 pp. doi:10.1214/EJP.v7-108. https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.ejp/1463434882

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