The Schwartz space of a smooth semi-algebraic stack (Q730333)

The main goal of this paper under review is to present a definition of relative trace formulas associated to certain double coset spaces \(\mathcal{X} = H_1 \backslash G / H_2\), where \(G\) is a reductive group over a number field \(k\). The viewpoint here is to regard \(\mathcal{X}\) as a smooth semi-algebraic stack, over the completion \(F = k_v\) at each place \(v\), and then study the Schwartz space of measures on \(\mathcal{X}(F)\). The construction is largely geometric without using any truncation; the resulting ``relative trace formula'' is a distribution \(\mathrm{RTF}_{\mathcal{X}}\) on the Schwartz space of \(\mathcal{X}(\mathbb{A}_k)\), which is automatically invariant. Note that despite its name, \(\mathrm{RTF}_{\mathcal{X}}\) is neither a trace nor a formula. In \S 2, one introduces a notion of smooth semi-algebraic stacks over a local field \(F\) with \(\mathrm{char}(F) = 0\), which are defined as geometric stacks in the category of Nash manifolds. In particular, such a stack \(\mathcal{X}\) admits a presentation \(X \to \mathcal{X}\) which is smooth, i.e.\ submersive, and \(X\) is a Nash \(F\)-manifold. In \S 3, the Schwartz space of a Nash stack is defined. The Schwartz measures form a cosheaf for the smooth topology. The construction is somewhat involved, but in the case of a quotient stack \(\mathcal{X} = X/G\) one recovers the spaces of co-invariants \(\mathcal{S}(X^T(F))\), where \(T\) ranges over the isomorphism classes of \(G\)-torsors over \(F\), and \(X^T = X \times^G T\). Next, one moves to the global setting and consider algebraic stacks of the form \(X/G\) over \(k\). The adélic Schwartz space \(\mathcal{S}(\mathcal{X}(\mathbb{A}_k))\) is defined, which serves as the space of test functions appearing in the sought-after relative trace formula. In \S 4, one carefully develops a notion of stalks over \(k\)-points of the GIT-quotient \(\mathfrak{c} := X /\!/ G\). In \S 6 one defines the evaluation map \(\mathrm{ev}_x: \mathcal{S}(\mathcal{X}(\mathbb{A}_k))_\xi \to \mathbb{C}\) at each semisimple point \(x \in \mathcal{X}(k)\) lying over \(\xi \in \mathfrak{c}(k)\), assuming that \(\mathcal{X}\) has no critical exponents at \(x\). The precise definition of critical exponents involves Luna's étale slice \(V\) through \(x\), on which the stabilizer group \(H\) acts. After reducing the problem to \(V\), what remains is an in-depth analysis of asymptotically finite functions on toroidal compactifications of the automorphic quotient \([H]\), as done in \S 4. All in all, the evaluation map amounts to a regularized sum of \(G(\mathbb{A}_k)\)-orbital integrals over elements whose semi-simple part is isomorphic to \(x\). Assuming that the exponents are non-critical at each semisimple \(k\)-point \(x\), the relative trace formula for \(\mathcal{X}\) is defined as \[ \mathrm{RTF}_{\mathcal{X}}: f \longmapsto \sum_{x/\simeq} \mathrm{ev}_x(f), \] a linear functional on \(\mathcal{S}(\mathcal{X}(\mathbb{A}_k))\). The twists \(X^T\) by \(G\)-torsors in the stacky picture also ``explains'' the pure inner forms appearing in Langlands program. Various examples of \(\mathrm{RTF}_{\mathcal{X}}\) are presented in \S 6. The highlights are Jacquet's \(S \backslash \mathrm{PGL}_2 / S\) where \(S\) is a non-split maximal torus in \(\mathrm{PGL}_2\), as well as the spaces \((X \times X) \big/ \mathrm{diag}(G)\) where \(X\) is the homogeneous space in the Gan-Gross-Prasad conjectures. It is expected that the resulting distribution is the same as that in [\textit{M.~Zydor}, Can. J. Math. 68, No. 6, 1382--1435 (2016; Zbl 1410.11041)]. Nonetheless, this formalism is not applicable to the Arthur--Selberg trace formula, corresponding to \(\mathcal{X}\) being the adjoint quotient stack of a reductive group \(H\).