On a duality theorem of Schneider-Stuhler (Q2180851)

Let \(G\) be a reductive \(p\)-adic group. Let \(\pi_1, \pi_2\) be smooth representations of \(G\). Assume \(\pi_1\) has finite length, and let \(D(\pi_1)\) denote its Aubert dual [\textit{A.~M.~Aubert}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 347, No. 6, 2179--2189 (1995; Zbl 0827.22005)]. When \(\pi_1\) and \(\pi_2\) admit central characters, the Schneider-Stuhler duality theorem relates the Ext-groups \(\mathrm{Ext}^i_G(\pi_1,\pi_2)\) with \(\mathrm{Tor}^G_{n-i}(D(\pi_1),\pi_2)\). See [\textit{P. Schneider} and \textit{U. Stuhler}, Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Études Sci. 85, 97--191 (1997; Zbl 0892.22012)]. In the paper under review, the authors prove that a version of this theorem holds without assuming \(\pi_1, \pi_2\) admit central characters, and outline the possible application to branching problems. For more background on Ext-analogues of branching laws, see [\textit{D. Prasad}, in: Proceedings of the international congress of mathematicians, ICM 2018, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 1--9, 2018. Volume II. Invited lectures. Hackensack, NJ: World Scientific; Rio de Janeiro: Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática (SBM). 1367--1392 (2018; Zbl 1443.11086)]. To give an idea of the motivation, let us quote from the Introduction: The theorem of Schneider and Stuhler however assumed that \(\pi_1, \pi_2\) had a central character, and \(\mathrm{Ext}^i_G(\pi_1,\pi_2)\) is calculated in the category of smooth representations of \(G\) with that central character. In the presence of non-compact center, the category of smooth representations of \(G\) cannot be decomposed using central characters, and therefore to prove analogous results about \(\mathrm{Ext}^i_G(\pi_1,\pi_2)\) where \(\pi_1, \pi_2\) are general smooth representations of G, and one of the representations is irreducible, does not seem a consequence of the theorem of Schneider and Stuhler. For some of the applications the second author had in mind dealing with \(\mathrm{Ext}^i_{\mathrm{GL}_n(F)}(\pi_1,\pi_2)\) where \(\pi_1, \pi_2\) are smooth representations of \(\mathrm{GL}_n(F)\) with \(\pi_1\) the restriction to \(\mathrm{GL}_n(F)\) of an irreducible smooth representation of \(\mathrm{GL}_{n+1}(F)\), it was important not to restrict oneself to smooth representations with a given central character. d irreducible representations of G. In addition to the irreducible case of the Schneider-Stuhler theorem, the main tools in the proof are purely algebraic. The authors exploit the fact, due to Bernstein [\textit{I. N. Bernstein}, in: Représentations des groupes réductifs sur un corps local, 1--32 (1984; Zbl 0599.22016)], that the Hecke algebra of \(G\) can be viewed as a limit of unital Hecke algebras that are finitely generated over their centers; with this in mind, they prove several homological-algebraic results concerning \(\mathrm{Ext}\)-groups for this kind of algebra. Here is the organization of the paper. After setting the representation-theoretic stage in Sections 2-3, the authors prove their purely homological-algebraic results in Sections 4-7. The proof of the main theorem itself is in the short Section 8. Finally, the authors outline in Section 9 the possible application of the Schneider-Stuhler duality theorem to branching laws. As a first example, they determine the submodules of the tensor product \(\pi_1\otimes\pi_2\) of irreducible smooth representations of \(\mathrm{GL}_2(F)\) when the product of the central characters of \(\pi_1\) and \(\pi_2\) is trivial.