Dirac index and associated cycles of Harish-Chandra modules (Q2288074)

Let \(G_{\mathbb{R}}\) be a simple real linear Lie group with Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}_0\). Let \(K_{\mathbb{R}}=G_{\mathbb{R}}^\theta\) be the maximal compact subgroup of \(G\) corresponding to the Cartan involution \(\theta\) of \(G_{\mathbb{R}}\). Let \(\mathfrak{g}=\mathfrak{k}+\mathfrak{p}\) be the Cartan decomposition of \(\mathfrak{g}:=\mathfrak{g}_0\otimes_{\mathbb{R}} \mathbb{C}\). Assume that \(G_{\mathbb{R}}\) is equal rank. That is, \(\operatorname{rank}G_{\mathbb{R}}=\operatorname{rank} K_{\mathbb{R}}\). The current paper aims to verify Conjecture 7.12 of [the authors, Am. J. Math. 139, No. 6, 1465--1491 (2017; Zbl 1384.17013)] linking the associated cycle and the Dirac index of certain Harish-Chandra modules. More precisely, let \(K\) be the complexification of \(K_{\mathbb{R}}\), and let \(G\) be a complex Lie group such that it contains \(K\) as the set of fixed points of the complex extension of \(\theta\) and that it has Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}\). Let \(M\) be an irreducible \((\mathfrak{g}, K)\)-module, then its associated cycle can be written as \[ AC(M)=\sum_{i} m_i(M) \overline{\mathcal{O}_i}, \] where \(\mathcal{O}_i\subset \mathfrak{p}\) are the real forms of a complex nilpotent \(G\)-orbit \(\mathcal{O}^{\mathbb{C}}\subset \mathfrak{g}\). Let \(\mathcal{O}^{\mathbb{C}}\) be the nilpotent orbit corresponding to the \(W\)-representation generated by the Weyl dimension polynomial \(P_K\) for \(K\) via the Springer correspondence. Theorem A of the paper under review confirms that when the associated variety of the annihilator of \(M\) is contained in \(\overline{\mathcal{O}^{\mathbb{C}}}\), then the Dirac index polynomial \(DI_p(M)\) of \(M\) is related to \(AC(M)\) in the following way: \[ DI_p(M)=\sum_i c_i m_i(M). \] The ingredients of the proof of Theorem A include: an extension of the definition of the associated cycle of the Harish-Chandra modules to virtual Harish-Chandra modules; a formula for the extension of a certain \(K\)-equivariant coherent sheaf; a formula for the Dirac index of a discrete series representation. The current paper pins down the constants \(c_i\) for \(\mathrm{SU}(p, q)\) and the related exceptional Lie groups. Other classical groups have been handled in the authors' paper [Glas. Mat., III. Ser. 53, No. 2, 275--330 (2018; Zbl 1422.22016)].