Loop group actions on categories and Whittaker invariants

Abstract

We develop some aspects of the theory of $D$-modules on ind-schemes of pro-finite type. These notions are used to define $D$-modules on (algebraic) loop groups and, consequently, actions of loop groups on DG categories. Let $N$ be the maximal unipotent subgroup of a reductive group $G$. For a non-degenerate character $\chi: N(\!(t)\!) \to \mathbb{G}_a$ and a category $\mathcal{C}$ acted upon by $N(\!(t)\!) $, we define the category $\mathcal{C}^{N(\!(t)\!), \chi}$ of $(N(\!(t)\!), \chi)$-invariant objects, along with the coinvariant category $\mathcal{C}_{N(\!(t)\!), \chi}$. These are the Whittaker categories of $\mathcal{C}$, which are in general not equivalent. However, there is always a family of functors $\Theta_k: \mathcal{C}_{N(\!(t)\!), \chi} \to \mathcal{C}^{N(\!(t)\!), \chi}$, parametrized by $k \in \mathbb{Z}$. We conjecture that each $\Theta_k$ is an equivalence, provided that the $N(\!(t)\!)$-action on $\mathcal{C}$ extends to a $G(\!(t)\!)$-action. Using the Fourier-Deligne transform (adapted to Tate vector spaces), we prove this conjecture for $G= GL_n$ and show that the Whittaker categories can be obtained by taking invariants of $\mathcal{C}$ with respect to a very explicit pro-unipotent group subscheme (not ind-scheme) of $G(\!(t)\!)$.