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I have recently come across Tao's proof disintegration theorem, i.e.,

Let $X$ be a compact metric space, $\mathcal X$ its Borel $\sigma$-algebra, and $\mu$ a Borel probability measure on $X$. Let $(Y, \mathcal Y)$ be a measurable space, $\pi:X\to Y$ a measurable map, and $\nu := f_\sharp \mu$ the push-forward of $\mu$ by through $f$. Then there is a collection $(\mu_y)_{y\in Y}$ of Borel probability measures on $X$ with the following properties.

  1. For all bounded measurable map $f:X\to \mathbb C$ and $\nu$-integrable map $g:Y\to \mathbb C$, $$ \int_X f (g\circ \pi) \mathrm d\mu = \int_Y \left(\int_X f\mathrm d\mu_y\right)g(y)\mathrm d\nu(y). \quad (\star) $$
  2. For all bounded measurable map $g:Y\to \mathbb C$, for $\nu$-a.e. $y \in Y$, $$ g\circ \pi=g(y) \quad \mu_y\text{-a.e.}. \quad (\star\star) $$

It is difficult for me to fully understand it. Fortunately, with help from @AnneBauval (here) and @EricWofsey (here), it seems I got it. For the sake of completeness, I present my exposition below and post it as an answer. I'm very happy to receive your suggestion, especially if my mistakes are pointed out.

Analyst
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  • Why is a downvote...? – Analyst Oct 26 '22 at 06:54
  • Probably the downvote was because you posed no question, but simply stated that "it was difficult". If you had some specific difficulty, your contribution would be of higher value in my opinion. Unlike wikiproof, this site follows a dialectic format. – paperskilltrees Dec 18 '22 at 23:04

1 Answers1

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By change-of-variables formula, the bounded linear operator $$ \pi^\sharp: L_1(Y) \to L_1(X), g \mapsto g \circ \pi $$ is well-defined and $\|\pi^\sharp\| = 1$. We denote its adjoint by $$ \pi_\sharp : L_\infty(X) \to L_\infty(Y). $$

We have the duality $$ \int_Y (\pi_\sharp f) g \mathrm d \nu = \int_X f (\pi^\sharp g) \mathrm d \mu \quad \forall f \in L_\infty(X), \forall g \in L_1(Y). $$

Also, $$ \|\pi_\sharp f\|_{L_\infty(Y)} \le \|\pi^\sharp\| \cdot \|f\|_{L_\infty(X)} \le \|f\|_\infty \quad \forall f \in \mathcal C(X). $$

For each $f \in \mathcal C(X)$, we have $\pi_\sharp f$ is an equivalence class of $L_\infty (Y)$, so we fix a representative $\tilde \pi_\sharp f \in \mathcal L_\infty (Y)$. Let $\pmb 1 \in \mathcal C(X)$ be the constant function.

  • Claim 1. $\tilde{\pi}_{\sharp} \pmb 1 = 1$ $\nu$-a.e.

Proof: By the duality, $$ \int_Y (\pi_\sharp \pmb 1) g \mathrm d \nu = \int_X \pmb 1(\pi^\sharp g) \mathrm d \mu = \int_Y g \mathrm d \nu \quad \forall g \in L_1(Y). $$ It follows that $\int_Y (\pi_\sharp \pmb 1 - 1) g \mathrm d \nu = 0$ for all $g \in L_1(Y)$. Because $\nu$ is finite, we get $L_\infty(Y) \subset L_1(Y)$. So we pick $g := \pi_\sharp \pmb 1 - 1 \in L_1(Y)$, and obtain $\int_Y (\pi_\sharp \pmb 1 - 1)^2 \mathrm d \nu = 0$. The claim then follows.

Because $X$ is compact, $\mathcal C(X)$ is separable. Let $F$ be a countable dense subset of $\mathcal C(X)$ and $\mathcal F := \operatorname{span}_{\mathbb Q} (F)$. For each $y \in Y$, we define a map $$ L: \mathcal F \times Y \to \mathbb C $$ by $$ L(f, \cdot) := \tilde\pi_\sharp f \quad \forall f \in \mathcal F. $$

Because $\mathcal F$ is countable, $\pi_\sharp$ is linear, and $\|\pi_\sharp f\|_{L_\infty(Y)} \le \|f\|_\infty$, there is a $\nu$-null set $N \in \mathcal Y$ such that for each $y\in N^c := Y \setminus N$,

  • $L(\pmb 1, y) = 1$, and
  • $L(\cdot, y)$ is $\mathbb Q$-linear continuous on $\mathcal F$.

We fix some $\overline y \in N^c$ and re-define $L$ by $$ L(\cdot, y) := L(\cdot, \overline y) \quad \forall y \in N. $$

Then for each $y\in Y$,

  • $L(\pmb 1, y) = 1$, and
  • $L(\cdot, y)$ is $\mathbb Q$-linear continuous on $\mathcal F$.

Because $\mathcal F$ is dense in $\mathcal C(X)$, there is an extension $$ L: \mathcal C(X) \times Y \to \mathbb C $$ such that for each $y \in Y$,

  • $L(\pmb 1, y) = 1$, and
  • $L(\cdot, y)$ is $\mathbb R$-linear continuous on $\mathcal C(X)$.

In particular, if $(f_n) \subset F$ and $f \in \mathcal C(X)$ such that $f_n \to f$ in $\|\cdot\|_\infty$, then $$ L(f, \cdot) = \lim_{n \to \infty} L(f_n, \cdot). $$

In other words, the sequence $\{L(f_n, \cdot) \mid n \in \mathbb N\}$ converges pointwise and everywhere to $L(f, \cdot)$. It follows that $L(f, \cdot)$ is measurable.

  • Claim 2. $L(f, \cdot) = \tilde\pi_\sharp f$ $\nu$-a.e. for each $f \in \mathcal C(X)$.

Proof: Because $\|f_n-f\|_\infty \to 0$, we get $\|f_n-f\|_{L_\infty (X)} \to 0$. Because $\pi_\sharp$ is continuous, we get $\| \pi_\sharp f_n - \pi_\sharp f \|_{L_\infty (Y)} \to 0$. It follows that $\tilde \pi_\sharp f_n \to \tilde \pi_\sharp f$ $\nu$-a.e. On the other hand, $L(f_n, \cdot) = \tilde\pi_\sharp f_n$. The claim then follows.

By Riesz–Markov–Kakutani theorem, for each $y \in Y$, there is a unique regular Borel measure $\mu_y$ on $X$ such that $$ L(f, y) = \int_X f \mathrm d \mu_y \quad \forall f \in \mathcal C(X). $$

It follows from $L(\pmb 1, y) = 1$ that $\mu_y$ is a probability measure. Also, for all $f \in \mathcal C(X)$ and for all $g \in L_1(Y)$, $$ \int_X f (\pi^\sharp g) \mathrm d \mu = \int_Y (\pi_\sharp f) g \mathrm d \nu = \int_Y (\tilde \pi_\sharp f) g \mathrm d \nu = \int_Y L(f, \cdot) g \mathrm d \nu = \int_Y \left ( \int_X f \mathrm d \mu_y \right ) g (y) \mathrm d \nu (y). $$

Let $\tau$ be the metric topology of $X$, the map $g:Y\to \mathbb C$ be $\nu$-integrable map. and $$ \mathcal H_g := \left \{f:X \to \mathbb C \text{ bounded measurable} \,\middle\vert\, y \mapsto\int_X f \mathrm d \mu_y \text{ is measurable, and } (\star) \text{ holds for } f \right\}. $$

  • Claim 3.a. If $O \in \tau$ then $1_A \in \mathcal H_g$.

Proof: There is a sequence $(f_n) \subset \mathcal C(X)$ of non-negative functions such that $f_n \nearrow 1_O$ pointwise and everywhere. By DCT, $$ \int_X f_n (g \circ \pi) \mathrm d \mu \to \int_X 1_O (g \circ \pi) \mathrm d \mu \quad \text{and} \quad \int_X f_n \mathrm d \mu_y \to \int_X 1_O \mathrm d \mu_y. $$ We have $y \mapsto \int_X f_n \mathrm d \mu_y$ is equal to $L(f_n, \cdot)$ which is measurable, so $y \mapsto \int_X 1_O \mathrm d \mu_y$ is also measurable. By DCT again, $$ \int_Y \left ( \int_X f_n \mathrm d \mu_y \right ) g (y) \mathrm d \nu (y) \to \int_Y \left ( \int_X 1_O \mathrm d \mu_y \right ) g (y) \mathrm d \nu (y). $$

The claim then follows from $$ \int_X f_n (g \circ \pi) \mathrm d \mu = \int_Y \left ( \int_X f_n \mathrm d \mu_y \right ) g (y) \mathrm d \nu (y) \quad \forall n. $$

  • Claim 3.b. Let $(f_n) \subset \mathcal H_g$ be an increasing sequence of non-negative functions. If $f_n$ converges pointwise and everywhere to a bounded function $f$, then $f \in \mathcal H_g$.

Proof: Notice that $f$ is measurable. We then obtain the claim by applying DCT (as in the proof of Claim 3.a.).

  • Claim 3.c. $(\star)$ holds for all bounded measurable map $f:X\to \mathbb C$.

Proof: By linearity of integral, if $f, g \in \mathcal H$ and $c \in \mathbb R$, then $f +c g \in \mathcal H_g$. The claim then follows from monotone class theorem for functions.

  • Claim 4. For $\nu$-a.e. $y \in Y$, we have $g\circ \pi=g(y)$ $\mu_y$-a.e.

Proof: Now let $f:X \to \mathbb C$ and $g,h:Y \to \mathbb C$ be bounded measurable. We apply $(\star)$ with $(f(g\circ\pi), h)$ in place of $(f, g)$ and get $$ \int_Y\left(\int_X f(g \circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu_y\right) h(y)\mathrm d \nu(y) = \int_X f((gh)\circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu. $$ We apply $(\star)$ with $(f, gh)$ in place of $(f, g)$ and get $$ \int_X f((gh)\circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu = \int_Y\left(\int_X f \mathrm d\mu_y\right) (gh)(y)\mathrm d \nu(y) = \int_Y\left(\int_X f g(y)\mathrm d\mu_y\right) h(y)\mathrm d \nu(y). $$ Thus $$ \int_Y\left(\int_X f(g \circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu_y\right) h(y)\mathrm d \nu(y) = \int_Y\left(\int_X f g(y)\mathrm d\mu_y\right) h(y)\mathrm d \nu(y). $$ So $$ \int_Y\left(\int_X f(g \circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu_y - \int_X f g(y)\mathrm d\mu_y\right) h(y)\mathrm d \nu(y) = 0. $$ We pick a particular $\bar h$ by $$ \bar h (y ) := \int_X f(g \circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu_y - \int_X f g(y)\mathrm d\mu_y. $$ Clearly, $\bar h:Y \to \mathbb C$ is bounded measurable. So $$ \int_X f(g \circ \pi)\mathrm d\mu_y = \int_X f g(y)\mathrm d\mu_y \quad \nu\text{-a.e.} $$ As such, for $\nu$-a.e. $y \in Y$, we get $$ \int_X f [g \circ \pi - g(y)] \mathrm d\mu_y=0. $$ Again, we pick a particular $\bar f: X \to \mathbb C$ by $\bar f := g \circ \pi - g(y)$. Clearly, $\bar f$ is bounded measurable. Then $g \circ \pi - g(y) =0$ $\mu_y$-a.e.

This completes the proof.

Analyst
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