Topological methods in representation theory (Q1126764)

Surveying joint work with W. Schmid, the author describes (without proofs) some results on admissible representations of a real semisimple Lie group \(G\). In the spirit of the Beilinson-Bernstein picture, a geometric description of those representations is given by means of cohomology groups \(H^k(X, {\mathcal F} \otimes_\mathbb{C} {\mathcal O} (\lambda))\), where \(X\) is the flag manifold of the complexification of \(G\), \({\mathcal F}\) is any \(G\)-equivariant sheaf on \(X\) (with finite dimensional stalks over \(\mathbb{C})\) and \({\mathcal O} (\lambda)\) is the \(G\)-equivariant sheaf of holomorphic functions on \(X\), ``twisted'' by \(\lambda\in H^2 (X,\mathbb{C})\). The general Kirillov formula obtained in this context expresses the corresponding character (transferred to the Lie algebra by the exponential map) as \[ \Theta ({\mathcal F}) (f)= (2\pi i)^{-n} \int_{\mu_\lambda (CC ({\mathcal F}))} \widehat f\cdot \sigma^n_\lambda. \] On the right hand side, \(\widehat f\) is the Fourier transform of a test function \(f\) on the Lie algebra of \(G\), \(CC({\mathcal F})\) is the characteristic cycle associated to \({\mathcal F}\) by a construction due to Kashiwara, and \(\mu_\lambda\) is Rossmann's twisted moment map. In particular, when \({\mathcal F}\) gives rise to a tempered representation of \(G\), the cycle \(\mu_\lambda (CC({\mathcal F}))\) is homologous to the appropriate coadjoint orbit and the above equality reduces to Rossmann's character formula.