The Schrödinger model for the minimal representation of the indefinite orthogonal group 𝑂(𝑝,𝑞)

Source abstract

We introduce a generalization of the Fourier transform, denoted by F C \mathcal {F}_C , on the isotropic cone C C associated to an indefinite quadratic form of signature ( n 1 , n 2 ) (n_1,n_2) on R n \mathbb {R}^n ( n = n 1 + n 2 n=n_1+n_2 : even). This transform is in some sense the unique and natural unitary operator on L 2 ( C ) L^2(C) , as is the case with the Euclidean Fourier transform F R n \mathcal {F}_{\mathbb {R}^n} on L 2 ( R n ) L^2(\mathbb {R}^n) . Inspired by recent developments of algebraic representation theory of reductive groups, we shed new light on classical analysis on the one hand, and give the global formulas for the L 2 L^2 -model of the minimal representation of the simple Lie group G = O ( n 1 + 1 , n 2 + 1 ) G=O(n_1+1,n_2+1) on the other hand. The transform F C \mathcal {F}_C expands functions on C C into joint eigenfunctions of fundamental differential operators which are mutually commuting, self-adjoint, and of second order. We decompose F C \mathcal {F}_C into the singular Radon transform and the Mellin–Barnes integral, find its distribution kernel, and establish the inversion and the Plancherel formula. The transform F C \mathcal {F}_C reduces to the Hankel transform if G G is O ( n , 2 ) O(n,2) or O ( 3 , 3 ) ≈ S L ( 4 , R ) O(3,3) \approx SL(4,\mathbb {R}) . The unitary operator F C \mathcal {F}_C together with multiplications and translations coming from the conformal transformation group C O ( n 1 , n 2 ) ⋉ R n 1 + n 2 CO(n_1,n_2)\ltimes \mathbb {R}^{n_1+n_2} generates the minimal representation of the indefinite orthogonal group G G . Various different models of the same representation have been constructed by Kazhdan, Kostant, Binegar–Zierau, Gross–Wallach, Zhu–Huang, Torasso, Brylinski, and Kobayashi–Ørsted, and others. Among them, our model gives the global formula of the whole group action on the simple Hilbert space L 2 ( C ) L^2(C) , and generalizes the classic Schrödinger model L 2 ( R n ) L^2(\mathbb R^n) of the Weil representation. Here, F C \mathcal {F}_C plays a similar role to F R n \mathcal {F}_{\mathbb {R}^n} . Yet another motif is special functions. Large group symmetries in the minimal representation yield functional equations of various special functions. We find explicit K K -finite vectors on L 2 ( C ) L^2(C) , and give a new proof of the Plancherel formula for Meijer’s G G -transforms.