DMS 9622977 Greg Hjorth, UCLA The notion of group is a central one in modern mathematics, specifically that of a group acting on a set. This induces an orbit equivalence relation : for the group G we have that the orbit of a point is the set of all gx where g is in G . This in turn cues mathematicians to the abstract study of the orbit equivalence relation, now isolated from the original investigation of the action. While work of some researchers on the edge of ergodic theory illuminates the case when G is locally compact, the branch of logic known as model theory is intimately concerned with the orbit equivalence relations induced by the infinite symmetric group S of all permutations of the countable set N, equipped with the topology of pointwise convergence. Hjorth's project is directed towards unifying these very diverse areas under the study of continuous actions of separable metrizable topological groups, commonly known as Polish groups. This class of groups includes some familiar topological groups which fail to be locally compact, such as: S, the homeomorphism group of the unit interval, and the group of automorphisms of Hilbert space. The notion of a group action can be understood by the following simple analogy. Suppose a fleck of sand is travelling through space, and we know its position and velocity at a given time, call it t. In principle it should be possible to calculate the position and velocity of the same fleck at a later time, call it t + s. In this sense we can say that the real number s "acts" on the collection of all possible positions and velocities. From any position and velocity at time t, the number s produces the position and velocity at time t+s. All possible states reachable from a specified starting point is what is called an orbit. The terminology suggests an analogy: rather than looking at the position of a planet at one fixed time, we look instead at the collection of all positions it can occupy throughout its year: in other words, its orbit. Hjorth's project considers group actions and orbits in a very general context, with particular focus on complicated groups which arise from logical considerations. Certain classifications are provided these group actions and orbits, to give an understanding of when one is more complicated than another. This research is foundational. A central goal is a deepened understanding of the subtle nature of many mathematical objects, such as orbits of points in space.
