On a local conjecture of Jacquet, ladder representations and standard modules (Q897513)

Let \(E/F\) be a quadratic extension of \(p\)-adic fields. Put \(G_n=\mathrm{GL}(n,E)\), \(H_n=\mathrm{GL}(n,F)\). Denote by \(\tau\) the nontrivial automorphism of \(E/F\), and by \(\tau(g)\) its action on \(g\in G_n\). An admissible representation \(\pi\) of \(G_n\) may be called distinguished if there is a nonzero \(H_n\)-invariant \(\mathbb{C}\)-valued linear form on it, and \(\eta\)-distinguished if \(\pi\) admits a nonzero \((H_n,\eta)\)-equivariant linear form, where \(\eta\) is the nontrivial character on \(F^\times/N_{E/F}E^\times\). Unfortunately this label, distinguished, used in French for normal subgroups, conveys no information on the property \(\pi\) has, a property related to nonvanishing of periods on cycles, as pointed out in the original work of Harder, Langlands, Rapoport. According to [\textit{Y. Z. Flicker}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 418, 139--172 (1991; Zbl 0725.11026)], a distinguished irreducible \(\pi\) satisfies \(\pi^\vee\simeq\pi^\tau\), thus its contragredient is equivalent to its Galois conjugate \(\pi^\tau(g)=\pi(\tau(g))\). Conversely it is conjectured in [loc. cit.] that an irreducible discrete series, or more generally elliptic, \(\pi\), whose contragredient is equivalent to its Galois conjugate, is (1) distinguished or \(\eta\)-distinguished, and (2) is a lift from a unitary group. The paper under review establishes (1) for some induced representations, named ladder representations, whose definition is recalled in Section 4 of the paper under review. The definition, in terms of Bernstein-Zelevinsky theory of induction for \(\mathrm{GL}(n)\), is too lengthy to recall here, but the idea is to extend to standard representations, thus purely induced ones, then consider their Langlands quotients, and show the invariant form vanishes on the kernel hence descends to a linear form on the Langlands quotient. In any case, the result asserts: A ladder representation \(\pi\) of \(G_n\) satisfying \(\pi^\vee\simeq\pi^\tau\) is either distinguished or \(\eta\)-distinguished. The word ``either'' means in English ``but not both''. This includes the previously known case of discrete series and their Zelevinsky's involutions. For this the author considers the standard representation \(\Sigma(\pi)\), the unique purely induced representation whose Langlands quotient is \(\pi\). It is induced from a twist of a tempered by an unramified character in the positive cone. Then the paper establishes: Suppose \(\pi\) is irreducible and \(\Sigma(\pi)\) is distinguished. Then \(\pi^\vee\simeq\pi^\tau\). Conversely, let \(\pi\) be irreducible of pure type -- the cuspidal support of \(\pi\) lies in \(\{\rho\otimes\nu^j;\,j\in\mathbb{Z}\}\), where \(\nu(g)=| \mathrm{det}(g)|\) and \(\rho\) is cuspidal. If \(\pi^\vee\simeq\pi^\tau\) then \(\Sigma(\pi)\) is either distinguished or \(\eta\)-distinguished.