Etude de deux classes de groupes nilpotents de pas deux

The aim of my PhD work is to study the $L^p$-boundedness of operators on two classes of two-step nilpotent Lie groups, using Plancherel formulas and spherical functions as tools. The first class of groups consists of the groups of Heisenberg type, and the second, of the two-step free nilpotent Lie groups (denoted $N_{v,2}$ for $v$ generators). In the latter case, we develop a radial Fourier calculus. Our study has focused on the maximal functions associated with Kor\'anyi spheres, together with their square functions, and the convolution operator defined with the radial Fourier calculus on the two-step free nilpotent Lie group (radial Fourier multipliers problem). In fact, one chapter of this work is devoted to the proof of $L^p$-inequalities for the maximal spherical function on the two considered classes of groups. Our method is based on interpolation for the same operator family as in the euclidean case, on $L^p$-boundedness for the standard maximal function, and $L^2$-inequalities for square functions. These $L^2$-inequalities are based on Plancherel formula and on the properties of bounded spherical functions for the orthogonal group. On $N_{v,2}$, we construct the bounded spherical functions using representations of the semidirect product of $N_{v,2}$ with the orthogonal group. We also obtain some properties of the Kohn sublaplacian and the radial Plancherel measure. Then we present a first study of the radial Fourier multiplier problem, with the aim of giving our solutions for some technicals difficulties.