Minimal representations via Bessel operators (Q2248623)

A unified construction of \(L^2\)-models for a family of ``smallest'' irreducible unitary representations including the minimal ones is presented. The construction provides a unified way to realize the irreducible unitary representations of the Lie groups as Schrödinger models in \(L^2\)-spaces on Lagrangian submanifolds of the minimal real nilpotent coadjoint orbits. In this realization the Lie algebra representations are given explicitly by differential operators of order at most two. Specifically, the authors use the Bessel operators which are naturally defined in terms of the Jordan structure. The definition of these operators is given and it is proven that they restrict to differential operators on the orbits of the structure group. In addition, it is shown that they are symmetric operators with respect to the \(L^2\) inner product corresponding to certain equivariant measures on the orbits. The Jordan theoretic orbits are related with the minimal nilpotent orbits of the complexified groups. The construction of the Lie algebra representation on a Lagrangian submanifold is illustrated by the examples of the Segal-Shale-Weil representation and the minimal representation of \(O(p,q)\). In particular, the construction applied to Jordan algebras of split rank one provides the entire complementary series representations of the \(SO(n,1)_0\). The explicit \(K\)-finite \(L^2\)-functions for every \(K\)-type are found by means of the ``special functions'' associated to certain order four differential operators.