On a remarkable semigroup of homomorphisms with respect to free multiplicative convolution

Let M denote the space of Borel probability measures on the real line. For every nonnegative t we consider the transformation $\mathbb B_t : M \to M$ defined for any given element in M by taking succesively the the (1+t) power with respect to free additive convolution and then the 1/(1+t) power with respect to Boolean convolution of the given element. We show that the family of maps {\mathbb B_t|t\geq 0} is a semigroup with respect to the operation of composition and that, quite surprisingly, every $\mathbb B_t$ is a homomorphism for the operation of free multiplicative convolution. We prove that for t=1 the transformation $\mathbb B_1$ coincides with the canonical bijection $\mathbb B : M \to M_{inf-div}$ discovered by Bercovici and Pata in their study of the relations between infinite divisibility in free and in Boolean probability. Here M_{inf-div} stands for the set of probability distributions in M which are infinitely divisible with respect to free additive convolution. As a consequence, we have that $\mathbb B_t(\mu)$ is infinitely divisible with respect to free additive convolution for any for every $\mu$ in M and every t greater than or equal to one. On the other hand we put into evidence a relation between the transformations $\mathbb B_t$ and the free Brownian motion; indeed, Theorem 4 of the paper gives an interpretation of the transformations $\mathbb B_t$ as a way of re-casting the free Brownian motion, where the resulting process becomes multiplicative with respect to free multiplicative convolution, and always reaches infinite divisibility with respect to free additive convolution by the time t=1.Comment: 30 pages, minor changes; to appear in Indiana University Mathematics Journa

Convolution powers in the operator-valued framework

We consider the framework of an operator-valued noncommutative probability space over a unital C*-algebra B. We show how for a B-valued distribution \mu one can define convolution powers with respect to free additive convolution and with respect to Boolean convolution, where the exponent considered in the power is a suitably chosen linear map \eta from B to B, instead of being a non-negative real number. More precisely, the Boolean convolution power is defined whenever \eta is completely positive, while the free additive convolution power is defined whenever \eta - 1 is completely positive (where 1 stands for the identity map on B). In connection to these convolution powers we define an evolution semigroup related to the Boolean Bercovici-Pata bijection. We prove several properties of this semigroup, including its connection to the B-valued free Brownian motion. We also obtain two results on the operator-valued analytic function theory related to the free additive convolution powers with exponent \eta. One of the results concerns analytic subordination for B-valued Cauchy-Stieltjes transforms. The other gives a B-valued version of the inviscid Burgers equation, which is satisfied by the Cauchy-Stieltjes transform of a B-valued free Brownian motion.Comment: 33 pages, no figure

Free Infinite Divisibility for Ultrasphericals

We prove that the integral powers of the semicircular distribution are freely infinitely divisible. As a byproduct we get another proof of the free infnite divisibility of the classical Gaussian distribution.Comment: 10 page

The normal distribution is ⊞\boxplus-infinitely divisible

We prove that the classical normal distribution is infinitely divisible with respect to the free additive convolution. We study the Voiculescu transform first by giving a survey of its combinatorial implications and then analytically, including a proof of free infinite divisibility. In fact we prove that a subfamily Askey-Wimp-Kerov distributions are freely infinitely divisible, of which the normal distribution is a special case. At the time of this writing this is only the third example known to us of a nontrivial distribution that is infinitely divisible with respect to both classical and free convolution, the others being the Cauchy distribution and the free 1/2-stable distribution.Comment: AMS LaTeX, 29 pages, using tikz and 3 eps figures; new proof including infinite divisibility of certain Askey-Wilson-Kerov distibution