Structure of the degenerate principal series on symmetric \(R\)-spaces and small representations (Q2444465)

Let \(X=G/P\) be an irreducible symmetric \(R\)-space, i.e.~\(G\) is a simple real non-compact Lie group and \(P=M_PA_PN\) a maximal parabolic subgroup with abelian nilradical. We denote by \(I(\nu)=\text{Ind}_P^G(1\otimes e^\nu\otimes1)\) the degenerate principal series of parameter \(\nu\in (\mathfrak{a}_P)^*_{\mathbb C}\), where \(P=M_PA_PN\) is the Langlands decomposition of \(P\) and \((\mathfrak{a}_P)^*_{\mathbb C}\) the complexification of the dual space of the Lie algebra of \(A_P\). When \(P\) is conjugate to the opposite parabolic subgroup \(\overline{P}\), the classical Knapp-Stein intertwining operators \(A(\nu): I(\nu) \to I(-\nu)\) are applicable and their residues are used to give the answers to the questions on irreducibility of \(I(\nu)\), the composition series of a reducible \(I(\nu)\), and their unitary irreducible constituents. In this paper, Möllers and Schwarz treat the case where \(P\) is not conjugate to \(\overline{P}\). Though several results on some special linear groups are known, they give the complete answers to the above questions. Instead of the intertwining operator \(A(\nu)\), they apply a spectrum generating operator used in [\textit{T. Branson} et al., J. Funct. Anal. 135, No. 1, 163--205 (1996; Zbl 0841.22011)], and find non-standard intertwining operators for all unitarizable subrepresentations of \(I(\nu)\). In this process, to successfully apply the method, they determine whether certain coefficients in the expansion of the product of two spherical functions on \(G/P\) vanish, which follows from \textit{L. Vretare}' result [Math. Scand. 39, 343--358 (1977; Zbl 0387.43009)]. They also calculate the Gelfand-Kirillov dimension of some unitary representation and find some small representations.