The double cover of odd general spin groups, small representations and applications

TL;DR

This paper constructs and analyzes local and global double covers of odd general spin groups, introducing exceptional representations with special properties useful for lifting problems and integral calculations.

Contribution

It develops the theory of double covers of odd general spin groups and constructs associated exceptional representations, extending previous work on small representations.

Findings

Construction of local and global metaplectic double covers.

Definition and properties of local and global exceptional representations.

Application to co-period integral calculation.

Abstract

We construct local and global metaplectic double covers of odd general spin groups, using the cover of Matsumoto of spin groups. Following Kazhdan and Patterson, a local exceptional representation is the unique irreducible quotient of a principal series representation, induced from a certain exceptional character. The global exceptional representation is obtained as the multi-residue of an Eisenstein series, it is an automorphic representation and decomposes as the restricted tensor product of local exceptional representations. As in the case of the small representation of SO(2n+1) of Bump, Friedberg and Ginzburg, exceptional representations enjoy the vanishing of a large class of twisted Jacquet modules (locally), or Fourier coefficients (globally). Consequently they are useful in many settings, including lifting problems and Rankin-Selberg integrals. We describe one application, to a calculation of a co-period integral.