A characterization of the \(L^{2}\)-range of the Poisson transform related to Strichartz conjecture on symmetric spaces of noncompact type (Q323682)

The study of joint eigenfunctions of invariant differential operators has been a major topic of investigation in analysis on symmetric spaces and an early important result, conjectured by Helgason and proved by Kashiwara et al., was that any joint eigenfunction expansion on \(X\) is expressed as the image of the Poisson transform of an analytic functional on the boundary. The central concern of the paper under review is on an image characterisation of the Poisson transform in the \(L^2\)-theory on a symmetric space of noncompact type. Let \(X=G/K\) be such a space, \(G\) being a noncompact, connected semisimple Lie group with finite centre and \(K\) a maximal compact subgroup. \(B\) be the boundary of \(X\). The main results of the paper, proving conjectures of Strichartz, are: i) the Poisson transform \(P_{\lambda}\) gives a topological isomorphism from \(L^2(B)\) to a certain weighted \(L^2\)-space \(\mathcal{E}^2_{\lambda}\) of joint eigenfunctions of invariant differential operators on \(X\), \(\lambda\in \mathfrak{a}^*_{reg}\); ii) if \(Q_{\lambda}\) are the `generalised spectral projections' of Strichartz giving a spectral decomposition of \(f\in L^2(X)\) into the family of joint eigenfunctions \(Q_{\lambda}f, \lambda\in \mathfrak{a}^*_+\), then \(Q\) gives a topological isomorphism between \(L^2(X)\) and a certain explicitly identified Banach space \(\mathcal{E}^*_{\mathfrak{a}^*_+}(X)\) of functions, where \(Qf(\lambda,x)=Q_{\lambda}f(x)\) for a.e. \((\lambda,x)\in {\mathfrak{a}^*_+} \times X\). Strichartz's conjectures appeared in a long paper \textit{R. S. Strichartz} [J. Funct. Anal. 87, No. 1, 51--148 (1989; Zbl 0694.43008)], where he proved them for real hyperbolic spaces. Subsequently, Ionescu discussed them in the rank one case. Other earlier contributions on the image characterisation for the Poisson transform and related questions include those of \textit{A. Boussejra} and \textit{H. Sami} [J. Lie Theory 12, No. 1, 1--14 (2002; Zbl 0988.43012)] and \textit{S. Ben Saïd} et al. [Int. Math. Res. Not. 2003, No. 16, 915--931 (2003; Zbl 1020.43005)]. In the paper under review, the key results on the way to the main results are a uniform estimate for elementary spherical functions on the positive Weyl chamber, a Fourier restriction estimate for the Helgason Fourier transform and an asymptotic expansion for the Poisson transform. The approach in the paper is based on harmonic analysis and scattering theory on \(X\).