Representation theory over tropical semifield and Langlands duality (Q1955825)

In previous work with \textit{S. Oblezin} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2006, No. 6, Article ID 96489, 23 p. (2006; Zbl 1142.17019)], the authors established a \(2\)-dimensional topological quantum field theory (TQFT) framework for studying Archimedean Langlands duality for local \(L\)-factors and more generally for Whittaker functions. The paper under review replaces \(2\)-dimensional TQFT with \(0\)-dimensional TQFT, using the adjective \textit{elementary} to describe objects that arise in this simplified setting. All of the standard properties of Whittaker functions, and the previous results of the authors with Oblezin [loc. cit.], have elementary counterparts. It is noteworthy that tropical geometry appears as a dual description of finite-dimensional symplectic geometry. An elementary analogue of Archimedean Langlands duality is given by a duality between symplectic finite-dimensional geometry of a flag space \(G/B\) and the representation theory of tropical monoids associated with the Langlands dual reductive group \(G^\vee\). The authors study the \(\hbar\rightarrow\infty\) limit of \(\mathfrak{gl}_{\ell+1}\)-Whittaker functions and local Archimedean \(L\)-factors and demonstrates that the resulting expressions can be interpreted as equivariant symplectic volumes of finite-dimensional Kähler spaces as predicted by the suggested elementary Archimedean Langlands duality. It is suggested that such elementary special functions might be considered as functions over a mysterious field \(\mathbb{Q}_1\). The elementary local \(L\)-factors coincide with the \(L\)-factors defined previously by \textit{N. Kurokawa} [Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 81, No. 10, 180--184 (2005; Zbl 1141.11316)].