Regular elements and regular characters of \(GL_ n({\mathcal O})\) (Q1895576)

Let \({\mathcal O}\) be the ring of integers of a \(p\)-adic field \(K\) with residue class field \(k\). Let \(\pi\) be a prime element of \({\mathcal O}\) and \({\mathcal O}_r = {\mathcal O}/_{\pi^r {\mathcal O}}\); \({\mathcal O}_r\) is a finite ring. Fix an integer \(r\) and for \(i < r\) denote by \(K_i = \text{Ker} (GL_n ({\mathcal O}_r) \to GL_n ({\mathcal O}_i))\). If \(\zeta\) is an irreducible character of \(G = GL_n ({\mathcal O}_r) \), then, by Clifford's theorem, \(\zeta |_{K_i} = a\) (multiple of a full \(G\)-orbit of irreducible characters of \(K_2)\). For \(i \geq {r \over 2}\) identify \(M_n ({\mathcal O}_{r - i})\) with its character group, and thus associate to \(\zeta\) an orbit of the adjoint action of \(G\) on \(M_n ({\mathcal O}_{r - i})\). Call this orbit \(\Omega_i (\zeta)\). If \(i = r - 1\), then \(\Omega_{r - 1} (\zeta) \subset M_n (k)\). \(\zeta\) is called semisimple (resp. nilpotent, regular) if the orbit \(\Omega_{r - 1} (\zeta)\) consists of semisimple (resp. nilpotent, regular) elements. Let \(\widetilde K\) be the maximal unramified extension of \(K\), and \(\widetilde {\mathcal O}\) the ring of integers of \(\widetilde K\), and \(\widetilde {\mathcal O}_r = \widetilde {\mathcal O}/_{\pi^r \widetilde {\mathcal O}}\). The residue field \({\mathcal O}_1\) is a finite field (say, of order \(q)\). Write \(\overline k\) for \(\widetilde {\mathcal O}_1\). For any \(i\) let \(\eta_i\) denote the natural homomorphism \(\eta_i : \widetilde {\mathcal O} \to \widetilde {\mathcal O}_i\). Let \({\mathbf G} = GL_n\) and \({\mathbf G} (r) = GL_n (\widetilde {\mathcal O}_r)\) \((r \geq 1)\), \(G(r) = GL_n ({\mathcal O}_r)\). We use \(\eta_i\) to denote also any of the natural homomorphisms \({\mathbf G} (\widetilde {\mathcal O}) \to {\mathbf G} (\widetilde {\mathcal O}_i)\), \(GL_n ({\mathcal O}) \to G(i)\). An element \(x\) in \(M_n ({\mathcal O}_r)\) is said to be regular if the centralizer of \(x\) in \(G(r)\), denoted by \(C_{G(r)} (x)\), has minimal dimension. Let \(\chi : K \to \mathbb{C}\) be a fixed additive character of \(K\) with conductor \({\mathcal O}\); \(\chi\) can be viewed as a character of the group \(\widetilde K/_{\pi^r \widetilde {\mathcal O}}\) having kernel \(\widetilde {\mathcal O}_r\). Let \(x \in M_n ({\mathcal O}_{r - 1})\). Choose \(\widehat x \in M_n ({\mathcal O}_r)\) with \(\eta_{r - i} (\widehat x) = x\). Define \(\psi_x : K_i \to \mathbb{C}\) by \(\psi_x (I + \pi^i y) = \chi (\pi^{r - i} \text{tr} (\widehat xy))\), (tr is matrix trace). It turns out that \(\zeta |_{K_i} = e \cdot \sum_{a \in \Omega_i (\zeta)} \psi_a\), where \(\Omega_i (\zeta)\) is an orbit of the conjugation action of \(G(r - i)\) on \(M_n ({\mathcal O}_{r - i})\); such an orbit is called an adjoint orbit. In Section 3 the author describes the regular elements of \({\mathbf G} (r)\) and determines a set of representatives for their conjugacy classes. (Theorem 3.6). Let \(x \in M_n (\widetilde {\mathcal O})\) and \(r \geq 1\). Write \(x(r)\) in place of \(\eta_r (x)\). Then: \(x(r)\) is regular \( \Leftrightarrow x(1)\) is regular \(\Leftrightarrow ({\widetilde {\mathcal O} }_r)^n\) is a cyclic \(\widetilde {\mathcal O}_r [x(r)]\) module \(\Leftrightarrow C_{G(r)} (x(r))\) is abelian. Put \(\overline x = \eta_1 (x)\) for \(x \in {\mathbf G} (r)\). A regular element a in \(M_n ({\mathcal O}_i)\) is said to be split regular if \(\overline a\) has all its eigenvalues in the field \(k\). In Theorem 4.6 the author constructs the characters of \(G\) corresponding to split regular elements. In Section 5 an analogue of the Gelfand-Graev character of \(GL_n (\mathbb{F}_q)\) is defined, and it is shown that every irreducible character of \(G(r)\) can be realized as a constituent of a generalized Gelfand-Graev character. Denote by \(U\) the subgroup of upper triangular matrices having unit diagonal. Define a character \(\chi_0 : {\mathcal O} (r) \to \mathbb{C}\) by \(\chi_0 (x) = \chi(\pi^{-r} \widehat x)\), \(\widehat x \in {\mathcal O}\), \(\eta_r (\widehat x) = x\). Let \(\theta_0\) be the character of \(U\) such that \((\theta_0)_i = \chi_0\) for every \(i\). [Herein, for \(i \neq j\) and \(a \in {\mathcal O}_r\) let \(x_{ ij} (a) = I + ae_{i,j}\) \((e_{i,j}\) matrix units)]. Then \(U_{ij} = \{x_{ij} (a) |a \in {\mathcal O}_r\}\) is a subgroup isomorphic to the additive group of \({\mathcal O}_r\) for \(i \neq j\). [If \(\theta\) is a linear character of \(U\) write \(\theta_i\) for \(\theta |U_{i,j}\).] For \(\theta\) a linear character of \(U\), let \(\Gamma_\theta\) be the induced character: \(\Gamma_\theta = \text{ind}^G_U \theta\). \( \Gamma_\theta\) is called the generalized Gelfand-Graev character (Proposition 5.7). Assume \(r \geq 2\). Every irreducible component of \(\Gamma_0 = \Gamma_{\theta_0}\) is regular, and every regular character occurs in \(\Gamma_0\). In Section 6 an analogue of the Steinberg character of \(GL_n (\mathbb{F}_q)\) is constructed (Proposition 6.1). Let \(r \geq 2\), \(G = G(r)\). Denote by \(St\) the common irreducible constituent of \(\Gamma_0\) and \(\text{ind}^G_B (1_B)\). Then \(\Omega_{r - 1} (St)\) is the unique regular nilpotent orbit (Corollary No. 6.5). For \(r \geq 2\), \[ \deg (St) = q^{r + 1({n(n - 1) \over 2} - n^2 + 1)} (q^n - 1) \dots (q^2 - 1). \]