Distinction inside L-packets of SL(n)

TL;DR

This paper characterizes distinguished representations inside L-packets of SL(n) over quadratic extensions, linking their distinction to the existence of degenerate Whittaker models, and extends the results globally with applications to automorphic forms.

Contribution

It establishes a precise criterion for distinction inside L-packets of SL(n) over quadratic extensions, connecting it to degenerate Whittaker models, and provides global analogues with applications.

Findings

Distinguished representations are characterized by degenerate Whittaker models.

Global analogue of the local distinction criterion is proven.

Examples of automorphic representations with vanishing periods are constructed.

Abstract

If $E/F$ is a quadratic extension $p$-adic fields, we first prove that the $\mathrm{SL}_n(F)$-distinguished representations inside a distinguished unitary L-packet of $\mathrm{SL}_n(E)$ are precisely those admitting a degenerate Whittaker model with respect to a degenerate character of $N(E)/N(F)$. Then we establish a global analogue of this result. For this, let $E/F$ be a quadratic extension of number fields and let $\pi$ be an $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_F)$-distinguished square integrable automorphic representation of $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_E)$. Let $(\sigma,d)$ be the unique pair associated to $\pi$, where $\sigma$ is a cuspidal representation of $\mathrm{GL}_r(\mathbb{A}_E)$ with $n=dr$. Using an unfolding argument, we prove that an element of the L-packet of $\pi$ is distinguished with respect to $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_F)$ if and only if it has a degenerate Whittaker model for a degenerate character $\psi$ of type $r^d:=(r,\dots,r)$ of $N_n(\mathbb{A}_E)$ which is trivial on $N_n(E+\mathbb{A}_F)$, where $N_n$ is the group of unipotent upper triangular matrices of $\mathrm{SL}_n$. As a first application, under the assumptions that $E/F$ splits at infinity and $r$ is odd, we establish a local-global principle for $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_F)$-distinction inside the L-packet of $\pi$. As a second application we construct examples of distinguished cuspidal automorphic representations $\pi$ of $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_E)$ such that the period integral vanishes on some canonical copy of $\pi$, and of everywhere locally distinguished representations of $\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{A}_E)$ such that their L-packets do not contain any distinguished representation.