Locally integrable cross sections and their intersection covolume

Abstract: We study systematically cross sections of probability preserving actions of unimodular groups and their associated transverse measures, and introduce the invariant \emph{intersection covolume} to quantify their periodicity. Our main theorem, derived from a higher order version of Kac's lemma, shows that the intersection covolume is bounded below by the intensity, with equality precisely when the action is induced by a lattice (in the sense of Mackey). We further prove that the natural cross sections of cut--and--project actions have finite intersection covolume.