Metaplectic Eisenstein series and the Bump-Hoffstein conjecture (Q1376026)

In the theory of metaplectic forms, and in particular of generalized theta functions on the \(n\)-fold metaplectic cover of \(\text{GL} (r,k)\), the problem of understanding the ``Fourier expansion'' plays an important role [see \textit{D. A. Kazhdan} and \textit{S. J. Patterson}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 59, 35-142 (1984; Zbl 0559.10026)]. Here \(k\) is a global field containing the \(n\)th roots of 1. There are no non-degenerate Whittaker models of an exceptional representation if \(r>n\); locally there is in this case a unique Whittaker model if \(r=n-1\) or \(r=n\). If \(r<n-1\), then the Fourier expansion is described by an infinite number of parameters, the ``coordinates'' of the global Whittaker functional with respect to a locally defined basis. In this paper these are denoted by \({\mathbf a}_r\). There has been a certain amount of evidence pointing to a sort of duality between \({\mathbf a}_{n-r}\) and \({\mathbf a}_r\). In this paper, the author proves this in a precise form (in the case that the characteristic of \(k\) is not zero) -- see Theorem 8.4. This is done by computing the residue of a pole of a Rankin-Selberg integral on the \(n\)-fold over of \(\text{GL} (n)\) in two different ways [cf. \textit{T. Suzuki}, Rankin-Selberg convolutions of generalized theta series, J. Reine Angew. Math. 414, 149-205 (1991; Zbl 0733.11017)], and it is essentially a global statement. Combining this with a detailed development of the local theory, he shows that a Dirichlet series which arises as a Rankin-Selberg integral of generalized theta functions on the metaplectic covers of \(\text{GL} (r_1)\) and \(\text{GL} (r_2)\) (with \(r_1+ r_2< n\), and therefore constructed on \(\text{GL(Max} (r_1,r_2)))\) is equal to the Fourier coefficient of an Eisenstein series on the metaplectic cover of \(\text{GL} (r_1+r_2)\) associated with a parabolic subgroup of type \((r_1,r_2)\). This is the result conjectured by \textit{D. Bump} and \textit{J. Hoffstein} [Lect. Notes Math. 1383, 1-11 (1989; Zbl 0677.10021)] and which also was motivated by idea of the duality above.