Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2016
Let $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$ be a lattice in a simply connected nilpotent Lie group $G$. Given an infinite measure-preserving action $T$ of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$ and a ‘direction’ in $G$ (i.e. an element $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ of the projective space $P(\mathfrak{g})$ of the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ of $G$), some notions of recurrence and rigidity for $T$ along $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ are introduced. It is shown that the set of recurrent directions ${\mathcal{R}}(T)$ and the set of rigid directions for $T$ are both $G_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$. In the case where $G=\mathbb{R}^{d}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}=\mathbb{Z}^{d}$, we prove that (a) for each $G_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$-subset $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ of $P(\mathfrak{g})$ and a countable subset $D\subset \unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$, there is a rank-one action $T$ such that $D\subset {\mathcal{R}}(T)\subset \unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ and (b) ${\mathcal{R}}(T)=P(\mathfrak{g})$ for a generic infinite measure-preserving action $T$ of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$. This partly answers a question from a recent paper by Johnson and Şahin. Some applications to the directional entropy of Poisson actions are discussed. In the case where $G$ is the Heisenberg group $H_{3}(\mathbb{R})$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}=H_{3}(\mathbb{Z})$, a rank-one $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}$-action $T$ is constructed for which ${\mathcal{R}}(T)$ is not invariant under the natural ‘adjoint’ $G$-action.