Double Descent in Classical Groups

Abstract

Let ${\bf A}$ be the ring of adeles of a number field $F$. Given a self-dual irreducible, automorphic, cuspidal representation $\tau$ of $\GL_n(\BA)$, with trivial central characters, we construct its full inverse image under the weak Langlands functorial lift from the appropriate split classical group $G$. We do this by a new automorphic descent method, namely the double descent. This method is derived from the recent generalized doubling integrals of Cai, Friedberg, Ginzburg and Kaplan \cite{CFGK17}, which represent the standard $L$-functions for $G\times \GL_n$. Our results are valid also for double covers of symplectic groups.