Ellipticity and discrete series (Q2065869)

One aim of the paper is to explain by elementary means why the existence of a discrete series representation of a real reductive group implies the existence of a compact Cartan subgroup for the group. The authors claim the presented approach has the potential to generalize to real spherical spaces. More explicitly, let \(H\subset G\) be real algebraic groups defined over \(\mathbb R\). The space \(Z:=G(\mathbb R)/H(\mathbb R)\) is real spherical whenever there exists an open orbit on \(Z\) for the natural action of a minimal parabolic subgroup of \(G(\mathbb R)\). The discrete series for \(Z\) consists of the irreducible subrepresentations of the regular representation of \(G\) on \(L^2(Z)\). In [\textit{B. Krötz} et al., Geom. Funct. Anal. 30, No. 3, 804--857 (2020; Zbl 1443.22018)] was conjectured: Assume \(Z\) is a unimodular real spherical space. A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a discrete series representation for \(Z\) is that the interior of \((\mathfrak h^\perp)_{ell}\) in \(\mathfrak h^\perp \) is non-empty. Here, \(\mathfrak g=\mathrm{Lie}(G(\mathbb C)), \mathfrak h^\perp =(\mathfrak g/\mathfrak h)^\star\), the index ``ell'' stands for elliptic elements. The sufficient condition was established in [\textit{P. Delorme} et al., J. Am. Math. Soc. 34, No. 3, 815--908 (2021; Zbl 07420179)]. In this note, the authors consider the case \(G=G_0 \times G_0, H=\operatorname{diag} (G)\) and give a proof of the necessity. The tools are: Iwasawa decomposition, the theory of leading exponents and a careful analysis of the relation between leading exponents and infinitesimal character.