The stable trace formula for the metaplectic group: the elliptic terms (Q894232)

The Arthur-Selberg trace formula is an important identity in the spectral geometry of the space \(G(F)\backslash G({\mathbb A})\) for a number field \(F\), where \(\mathbb A\) is the adele ring and \(G\) a reductive linear group over \(F\). It comes about by comparing two ways of computing the trace of an integral operator, spectrally on the one side and geometrically on the other. The trace formula has profound applications in the Langlands theory, where it can be used to show instances of functoriality. The strategy of these proofs is to compare the trace formulae of two different groups, applied to suitable test functions, whose geometric sides of the formula match, so that the ensuing identity of the spectral sides yields the wanted functoriality. In order to match the geometric sides, which are organized by conjugacy classes in the groups, one needs a suitable correspondence between these conjugacy classes. Such a correspondence is much easier obtained if one uses conjugacy over the respective algebraic closures instead of the ground field, i.e., the so called \textit{stable conjugacy classes}. To exploit such a correspondence, one needs a different version of the trace formula, the \textit{stable trace formula}. The stabilization of the trace formula was carried out by Arthur in three groundbreaking papers in 2001--2003 [Zbl 1040.11038, Zbl 0978.11025, Zbl 1051.11027], at the time conditionally based on the fundamental lemma, which in the meantime has been proven by Gérard Laumon and Ngo Bao Chau. In automorphic theory, the consideration of, say, modular forms of non-integral weight leads to non-linear groups, called metaplectic groups. Much of the theory of linear groups carries over, sometimes requiring serious reinterpretation. For instance, it needs to be established, what actually is meant by Langlands functoriality in this context. In this paper the case of \(\tilde G\) being the metaplectic covering of a symplectic group is considered. Steps in this direction have been accomplished in previous papers of the author, such as [Compos. Math. 147, No.~2, 524--590 (2011; Zbl 1216.22009)], which is the starting point of this paper, and [Can. J. Math. 64, No.~3, 497--537 (2012; Zbl 1273.11087)], in which a fundamental lemma for metaplectic groups is established. The author develops the notion of stable conjugacy for metaplectic groups. He establishes the Langlands dual group formalism in this context. The main issue then is the singular transfer, which is developed here for metaplectic groups. Semi-stable regular orbital integrals are transferred to stable orbital integrals on endoscopic groups. This is used to establish the main result of the paper , which gives an expression of the elliptic part of the trace formula for \(\tilde G\) in terms of stable integrals associated to an endoscopic group.