Twisted Poincaré series and zeta functions on finite quotients of buildings (Q2313409)

Let $F$ be a non-archimedean local field. To a discrete torsion-free subgroup $\Gamma$ of $\mathrm{PGL}_2(F)$, the classical Ihara zeta function is a product indexed by the primitive conjugacy classes in $\Gamma$. One can reformulate the Ihara zeta function in geometric terms by rewriting it as a product indexed by the primitive closed geodesics in the quotient of the Bruhat-Tits tree of $\mathrm{PGL}_2(F)$ by $\Gamma$. The Ihara zeta function for $\mathrm{PGL}_2$ is known to be rational, and this paper studies the rationality of zeta functions attached to other rank 2 groups. The primary obstacle is to provide a suitable geometric interpretation, which is achieved using twisted Poincare series. In the Introduction, this is contrasted with the existing theory for groups of adjoint type, which utilizes the theory of Langlands $L$-functions. The comparison inspires speculation on the theory of higher rank groups. The case of rank 3 groups is studied in Sections 3 and 4, and higher rank groups are considered in Section 5.