Fourier-Jacobi periods and the central value of Rankin-Selberg \(L\)-functions (Q2630131)

The last couple of years are witnessing an enormous progress in direction of the Gan-Gross-Prasad conjectures. \textit{W. T. Gan} et al. [Astérisque 346, 1--109 (2012; Zbl 1280.22019)] stated the local and global conjectures for arbitrary classical groups, vastly generalizing the original Gross-Prasad conjecture for special orthogonal groups. The global conjectures relate non-vanishing of certain periods of automorphic forms to non-vanishing of central values of certain automorphic \(L\)-functions associated to the corresponding automorphic representations. Refined global Gan-Gross-Prasad conjectures, firstly stated by \textit{A. Ichino} and \textit{T. Ikeda} [Geom. Funct. Anal. 19, No. 5, 1378--1425 (2010; Zbl 1216.11057)] in the case of special orthogonal groups, predict an explicit formula for those periods, under the assumption that the automorphic representations involved are tempered at all places. The formula involves the central value of the automorphic \(L\)-function already present in non-refined conjectures. Regarding the case of Bessel periods on unitary groups, \textit{R. N. Harris} [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2014, No. 2, 303--389 (2014; Zbl 1322.11047)] stated the refined global Gan-Gross-Prasad conjecture on \(\mathrm{U}(n+1)\times \mathrm{U}(n)\), where \(\mathrm{U}(m)\) refers to a unitary group in \(m\) variables, and \(\mathrm{U}(n)\) is viewed as the unitary group of an appropriate Hermitian subspace of the Hermitian space defining \(\mathrm{U}(n+1)\). \textit{W. Zhang} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 27, No. 2, 541--612 (2014; Zbl 1294.11069)] proved the refined conjecture in that case. The proof is subject to several local assumptions, and is based on the relative trace formula of \textit{H. Jacquet} and \textit{S. Rallis} [Clay Mathematics Proceedings 13, 205--264 (2011; Zbl 1222.22018)], the relevant fundamental lemma of \textit{Z. Yun} [Duke Math. J. 156, No. 2, 167--227 (2011; Zbl 1211.14039)], and the smooth transfer established by \textit{W. Zhang} [Ann. Math. (2) 180, No. 3, 971--1049 (2014; Zbl 1322.11048)]. The purpose of this paper is to establish the parallel theory for the case of Fourier-Jacobi periods on unitary groups \(\mathrm{U}(n)\times \mathrm{U}(n)\). The author of the present paper has proved in [Adv. Math. 262, 1130--1191 (2014; Zbl 1301.11051)] the non-refined conjecture in that case, building on the work of \textit{Y. Liu} [Manuscr. Math. 145, No. 1--2, 1--69 (2014; Zbl 1301.11050)], who suggested the relative trace formula approach and proved the relevant fundamental lemma, and reducing the existence of the smooth transfer to the work of \textit{W. Zhang} [Ann. Math. (2) 180, No. 3, 971--1049 (2014; Zbl 1322.11048)] in the case of Bessel periods. This paper first formulates the refined global Gan-Gross-Prasad conjecture for the Fourier-Jacobi periods on \(\mathrm{U}(n)\times \mathrm{U}(n)\), and then proves it under several assumptions. These assumptions are some expected properties of the \(L\)-packets, the analogue of Arthur's endoscopic classification for unitary groups, results predicted by the local Gan-Gross-Prasad conjectures, and some technical requirements.