Hecke algebras, new vectors and new forms on \(\Gamma_0(m)\) (Q2412551)

Let \(S_k(\Gamma_0(m))\) be space of elliptic modular forms of weight \(k\) for the congruence subgroup \(\Gamma_0(m)\). The theory of newforms in general, but in particular for \(S_k(\Gamma_0(m))\), is an important part of the theory of modular forms. In their seminal paper \textit{A. O. L. Atkin} and \textit{J. Lehner} [Math. Ann. 185, 134--160 (1970; Zbl 0177.34901)] introduced the space of newforms for \(\Gamma_0(n)\) as the orhogonal complement of the space of oldforms within the space \(S_k^{\text{cusp}}(\Gamma_0(m))\) with respect to the Petersson scalar product. However, no sufficient criterion, which characterizes \(f\in S_k(\Gamma_0(m))\) as a newform, is given. In the paper under review, the authors provide a characterization of the space of newforms as a common eigenspace of certain Hecke operators which depend on the primes dividing the level \(m\) and give thereby several necessary and sufficient criteria for \(f\in S_k^{\text{cusp}}(\Gamma_0(m))\) to be a newform. To find these Hecke operators the authors consider the he \(p\)-adic Hecke algebra \newline \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\) of bi-\(K_0(p^n)\)-invariant functions on \(K\). Here \(K=\mathrm{GL}_2(\mathbb Z_p)\) and \[ K_0(p^n) = \left\{\begin{pmatrix} a & b\\ c & d\end{pmatrix}\in K\; |\; c\in p^n\mathbb Z_p\right\}. \] They calculate a (finite) set of generators of \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\) and determine the relations between them. Let \(I(n)\) be the induced representation \(\text{Ind}_{K_0(p^n)}^K 1\) of \(K\). The Hecke algebra \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\) turns out to be equal to \(I(n)^{K_0(p^n)}\). There are \(n+1\) irreducible representations of \(K\) which contain a vector fixed by \(K_0(p^n)\). \textit{W. Casselman} showed in [Math. Ann. 206, 311--318 (1973; Zbl 0253.20062); Math. Ann. 201, 301--314 (1973; Zbl 0239.10015)] that there is a unique irreducible subrepresentation of \(I(n)\) which has a \(K_0(p^n)\) fixed vector and which does not contain a \(K_0(p^k)\) fixed vector, where \(k<n\). This \(K_0(p^n)\) fixed vector is unique up to a scalar and an element of \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\). The authors describe it explicitly in terms of the above mentioned generators. There is a well-known one-to-one relation between the classical modular forms on \(\Gamma_0(m)\) and adelic automorphic forms \(A_k(m)\) on \(\mathrm{GL}_2(\mathbb{A})\). The Hecke algebra \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\) acts on the space \(A_k(m)\) and corresponds to the classical Hecke algebra. The authors show in their paper that the generators of \(H(K//K_0(p^n))\) correspond operators introduced in \textit{A. O. L. Atkin} and \textit{J. Lehner} [Math. Ann. 185, 134--160 (1970; Zbl 0177.34901)], products of them or certain other operators on \(S_k(\Gamma_0(m))\). In particular, the operator associated to the constructed \(K_0(p^n)\) fixed vector is then part of the above mentioned characterizations of \(S_k^{\text{new}}(\Gamma_0(m))\).