We examine properties of
flows on compact metric spaces under multi-parameter real actions (i.e., the
acting group is Rn), and the impact of changes of action (time changes)
and conjugacies to other flows. These concepts are carefully studied in the
case of Rn-suspensions and a basic framework for the internal structure
of suspensions is developed. The structure of minimal Rn flows which are
conjugate to an equicontinuous flow is examined using suspensions, and
these flows are shown to be either weak-mixing or equicontinuous under
suitable assumptions. Basic properties for the cohomology of time changes
are also developed, with the major result indicating when time changes on
equicontinuous minimal flows are cohomologous to constant time changes, and
the structure of those time changes which themselves yield equicontinuous
flows.
