Remarks on harmonic forms and proper functions on a Riemannian variety (Q661950)

In [\textit{S. T. Yau}, Indiana Univ. Math. J. 25, 659--670 (1976); Erratum ibid. 31, 607 (1982; Zbl 0335.53041)] it was proved that if M is a manifold of arbitrary dimension, and \(1<p <2\), there is no harmonic form in \(L^p\). Following this assertion in [\textit{A. R. Dragomirna}, Thesis (1997)], counter-examples have been shown for real hyperbolic spaces of dimension \(2n\), for degree \(n\). Using the theory of discrete series of representations of semisimple Lie groups, Chayet and the author showed in [\textit{M. Chayet} and \textit{N. Lohoue}, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Ser. I 324, 2, 211--213 (1997; Zbl 0879.57019)] that this phenomenon is general for symmetric spaces whose corresponding semisimple Lie group admits a discrete series. The purpose of this paper is to show that these counter-examples come from a general theorem which completely contradicts the previous assertion. In fact, the author wants to show that these counter-examples are generic. Furthermore, the author's results are not restricted to differential forms but, under certain conditions, quite general, enlarged to elliptic operators on sections of a fiber bundle over Riemannian manifolds.