Loop group factorization method for the magnetic and thermostatic nonabelian ray transforms

Abstract

We study the injectivity of the matrix attenuated and nonabelian ray transforms on compact surfaces with boundary for nontrapping $λ$-geodesic flows and the general linear group of invertible complex matrices. We generalize the loop group factorization argument of Paternain and Salo to reduce to the setting of the unitary group when $λ$ has the vertical Fourier degree at most $2$. This covers the magnetic and thermostatic flows as special cases. Our article settles the general injectivity question of the nonabelian ray transform for simple magnetic flows in combination with an earlier result by Ainsworth. We stress that the injectivity question in the unitary case for simple Gaussian thermostats remains open. Furthermore, we observe that the loop group argument does not apply when $λ$ has higher Fourier modes.