Conical representations for direct limits of symmetric spaces (Q2406029)

The authors classify all smooth conical representations, which are constructed by taking unions of increasing chains of finite-dimensional Lie groups. In a similar way, one can form an infinite-dimensional symmetric space by forming a direct limit of finite-dimensional symmetric spaces. In the present paper the authors classify all of the smooth conical representations for direct limits of noncompact-type Riemannian symmetric spaces that satisfy certain technical conditions. Combined with the results of [the authors with \textit{J. A. Wolf}, J. Lie Theory 23, No. 3, 711--729 (2013; Zbl 1280.43003)], they show that for infinite-dimensional symmetric spaces of infinite rank, none of the smooth conical representations are spherical, a situation which is in stark contrast to the classical result of Helgason that all finite-dimensional representations are spherical if and only if they are conical. They further demonstrate the existence, in certain cases, of non-smooth unitary conical representations for direct limits of compact-type Riemannian symmetric spaces.