Invariant Measure Under the Affine Group Over

Abstract

A rational polyhedron$P\subseteq {\mathbb{R^n}}$ is a finite union of simplexes in ${\mathbb{R^n}}$ with rational vertices. P is said to be $\mathbb Z$-homeomorphic to the rational polyhedron $Q\subseteq {\mathbb{R^{\it m}}}$ if there is a piecewise linear homeomorphism η of P onto Q such that each linear piece of η and η−1 has integer coefficients. When n=m, $\mathbb Z$-homeomorphism amounts to continuous $\mathcal{G}_n$-equidissectability, where $\mathcal{G}_n=GL(n,\mathbb Z) \ltimes \mathbb Z^{n}$ is the affine group over the integers, i.e., the group of all affinities on $\mathbb{R^{n}}$ that leave the lattice $\mathbb Z^{n}$ invariant. $\mathcal{G}_n$ yields a geometry on the set of rational polyhedra. For each d=0,1,2,. . ., we define a rational measure λd on the set of rational polyhedra, and show that any two $\mathbb Z$-homeomorphic rational polyhedra $$P\subseteq {\mathbb{R^n}}$$ and $Q\subseteq {\mathbb{R^{\it m}}}$ satisfy $\lambda_d(P)=\lambda_d(Q)$. $\lambda_n(P)$ coincides with the n-dimensional Lebesgue measure of P. If 0 ≤ dim P=d < n then λd(P)>0. For rational d-simplexes T lying in the same d-dimensional affine subspace of ${\mathbb{R^{\it n}}, $\lambda_d(T)$$ is proportional to the d-dimensional Hausdorff measure of T. We characterize λd among all unimodular invariant valuations.