On the analogy between real reductive groups and Cartan motion groups: the Mackey-Higson bijection (Q2065053)

Let \(G\) be a reductive Lie group and \(K\) a maximal compact subgroup with Lie algebras \(\mathfrak{g}\) and \(\mathfrak{k}\) respectively and let \(\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{k}\oplus\mathfrak{p}\) the corresponding Cartan decomposition with \(\theta\) as the associated Cartan involution. The adjoint action of \(K\) on \(\mathfrak{p}\) defines a semidirect product \(G_0:=K\ltimes\mathfrak{p}\), known as the Cartan motion group of \(G\). Let \(\widehat{G_0}\) be the unitary dual of \(G_0\) and \(\widehat{G}^{\mathrm{temp}}\) the tempered dual of \(G\). A Mackey parameter \(\delta=(\chi,\mu)\) is given by an element \(\chi\in\mathfrak{p}^*\) and an irreducible representation \(\mu\) of the stabilizer \(K_\chi\) of \(\chi\) in the coadjoint action of \(K\) on \(\mathfrak{p}^*\). Then one builds, following Vogan's classification by lowest \(K\)-types, an irreducible tempered representation \(V_{L_\chi}(\mu)\) of the centralizer \(L_\chi\) of \(\chi\) in \(G\). Fix a \(\theta\)-stable parabolic subgroup \(P_\chi\) of \(G\), with Levi factor \(L_\chi\) and consider the \(P_\chi\)-representation \(\sigma:=V_{L_\chi}(\mu)\otimes e^{i\chi}\). Finally form the representation \(M(\delta)\) of \(G\) induced from \(\sigma\) (with trivial character for \(N_\chi\)). The main result of the paper under review can now be stated as follows (Theorem 3.5): \begin{itemize} \item[(a)] For every Mackey parameter \(\delta\), \(M(\delta)\) is irreducible and tempered. \item[(b)] Two representations \(M(\delta)\) and \(M(\delta^\prime)\) are unitarily equivalent if, and only if, \(\delta\) and \(\delta^\prime\) are equivalent as Mackey parameters. \item[(c)] This yields a bijection \(\widehat{G_0}\xrightarrow{\simeq}\widehat{G}^{\mathrm{temp}}\), called the Mackey-Higson bijection. \end{itemize}