On a class of multiplicity-free nilpotent \(K_{\mathbb C}\)-orbits (Q928476)

Let \(G\) be a simple Lie group and \( K \) its maximal compact subgroup. Let us denote the Cartan decomposition by \( \mathfrak{g} = \mathfrak{k} + \mathfrak{p} \), where \( \mathfrak{g} \) and \( \mathfrak{k} \) are the complexifications of the Lie algebras of \(G\) and \( K \) respectively. If we denote by \( K_{\mathbb C} \) the complexification of \( K \), it acts on \( \mathfrak{p} \) via adjoint action. By the work of \textit{B. Kostant} and \textit{S. Rallis} [Am. J. Math. 93, 753--809 (1971; Zbl 0224.22013)], there are only a finite number of nilpotent \( K_{\mathbb C} \)-orbits in \( \mathfrak{p} \), which correspond bijectively to real nilpotent \(G\)-orbits in \( \mathfrak{g}_{\mathbb R} \) due to [\textit{J. Sekiguchi}, J. Math. Soc. Japan 39, 127--138 (1987; Zbl 0627.22008)]. Among those nilpotent \( K_{\mathbb C} \)-orbits, there is an interesting class called spherical nilpotent orbits. By definition, a \( K_{\mathbb C} \)-orbit \( \mathbb O\) is spherical if it admits a dense open orbit under the action of a Borel subgroup of \( K_{\mathbb C} \). It is equivalent to say that \( K_{\mathbb C} \) acts on the closure \(\overline{\mathbb O}\) is multiplicity free, i.e., any irreducible representation of \( K_{\mathbb C} \) appears in the regular function ring \( \mathbb C[\overline{\mathbb O}] \) with multiplicity less than one. The spherical nilpotent \( K_{\mathbb C} \)-orbits in \( \mathfrak{p} \) were completely classified by [\textit{D. King}, J. Lie Theory 14, 339--370 (2004; Zbl 1057.22020)], while the spherical nilpotent \( G_{\mathbb C} \)-orbits in \( \mathfrak{g} \) were classified by [\textit{D. Panyushev}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 49, 1453--1476 (1999; Zbl 0944.17013)]. In this paper, the author constructs a series of spherical nilpotent \( K_{\mathbb C} \)-orbits \( \{ \mathbb O_{k} \mid 1 \leq k \leq n \} \) for which \( \mathbb O_k \subset \overline{\mathbb O_{k + 1}} \) holds. Indeed, these orbits consist of a maximal chain in the Hasse diagram of spherical nilpotent orbits with respect to the closure relation. He uses a maximal set of strongly orthogonal roots in the restricted root system to provide representatives of orbits, and it allows him to compute the \( K \)-type decomposition of the function rings \( \mathbb C[\overline{\mathbb O_k}]\). Using this explicit decomposition, he also calculates the algebro-geometric degree of (projectivised) nilpotent orbits, which is expressed as a Selberg type integral (a similar formula was obtained by Ochiai, Zhu and the reviewer; see [\textit{K. Nishiyama, H. Ochiai} and \textit{C. Zhu}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 358, No. 6, 2713--2734 (2006; Zbl 1091.22002)]). Unfortunately, these results are only available for classical groups. From the view point of the representation theory of real reductive Lie groups, nilpotent orbits should support basic and isolated unitary representations called unipotent. So the author expects that the series of nilpotent orbits constructed here also supports a series of unipotent representations. It has already been accomplished by [\textit{S. Sahi}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 462, 1--18 (1995; Zbl 0822.22006)], but only for the Hermitian symmetric cases.