The Plancherel formula for real almost algebraic Lie groups (Q2493040)

This long paper seems to be the goal of a series of works by the same authors on the Plancherel formula for real almost algebraic groups [cf. J. Funct. Anal. 116, No. 2, 359--440 (1993; Zbl 0836.22021); ibid. 144, No. 1, 153--189 (1997; Zbl 0874.22009); Ann. Inst. Fourier 52, No. 5, 1301--1364 (2002; Zbl 1024.22006)]. The leading philosophy is that of the orbit method created by \textit{A. A. Kirillov} [Russ. Math. Surv. 17, No. 4, 53--104 (1962); translation from Usp. Mat. Nauk 17, No. 4(106), 57--110 (1962; Zbl 0106.25001)] and the Plancherel formula is presented as an equality between certain invariant distributions. This line of research was proposed by \textit{M. Duflo} and \textit{M. Vergne} [La formule de Plancherel des groupes de Lie semi-simples réels, Representations of Lie groups: analysis on homogeneous spaces and representations of Lie groups, Proc. Symp., Kyoto/Jap. and Hiroshima/Jap. 1986, Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 14, 289--336 (1988; Zbl 0759.22017)]. Here, the authors elaborate a complete proof of the Plancherel formula in a synthesis of various known results, following many ideas due to \textit{M. Duflo} [Lect. Notes Math. 1077, 101--165 (1984; Zbl 0546.22014)] and \textit{M. Vergne} [Ann. Math. (2) 115, 639--666 (1982; Zbl 0501.43006)]. The main ingredients of the proof are Harish-Chandra's descent method, the character formula for representations, originally given for nilpotent Lie groups by Kirillov and later generalized extensively, and the Poisson-Plancherel formula near elliptic elements.