SCHUR MULTIPLIERS AND SPHERICAL FUNCTIONS ON HOMOGENEOUS TREES

Let X be a homogeneous tree of degree q + 1 (2 ≤ q ≤ ∞) and let ψ : X × X → ℂ be a function for which ψ(x, y) only depends on the distance between x, y ∈ X. Our main result gives a necessary and sufficient condition for such a function to be a Schur multiplier on X × X. Moreover, we find a closed expression for the Schur norm ||ψ||S of ψ. As applications, we obtaina closed expression for the completely bounded Fourier multiplier norm ||⋅||M0A(G) of the radial functions on the free (non-abelian) group 𝔽N on N generators (2 ≤ N ≤ ∞) and of the spherical functions on the q-adic group PGL2(ℚq) for every prime number q.