Groups \(\mathrm{GL}(\infty)\) over finite fields and multiplications of double cosets (Q2042935)

There exist well-developed theories of unitary representations of infinite-dimensional real classical groups and of infinite symmetric groups. Infinite-dimensional classical groups over finite fields in this aspect are topics of many papers since the paper by \textit{H.-L. Skudlarek} [Math. Ann. 223, 213--231 (1976; Zbl 0313.43010)], but a picture remains to be less rich than for real groups. Let \(F\) be a finite field, \(V\) be a direct sum of an infinite number of copies of \(F\), and \(V^o\) be the dual space of \(V\). Denote by \(\overline{GL}\) the group of continuous linear operators in \(V^o\oplus V\). The present paper contains an attempt to classify all unitary representations of \(\overline{GL}\). The author reduces the theory of unitary representations of \(\overline{GL}\) to projective representations of a certain category whose morphisms are linear relations in finite-dimensional linear spaces over \(F\). In fact, he considers a certain family \(\overline{Q}_{\alpha}\) of subgroups in \(\overline{GL}\) preserving two-element flags, shows that there is a natural multiplication on spaces of double cosets with respect to \(\overline{Q}_{\alpha}\), and reduces this multiplication to products of linear relations. He shows that this group has type I and obtains an ``upper estimate'' of the set of all irreducible unitary representations of \(\overline{GL}\).