Contragredients and a multiplicity one theorem for general Spin groups

Abstract

Each orthogonal group $\OO(n)$ has a nontrivial $\GL(1)$-extension, which we call $\GPin(n)$. The identity component of $\GPin(n)$ is the more familiar $\GSpin(n)$, the general Spin group. We prove that the restriction to $\GPin(n-1)$ of an irreducible admissible representation of $\GPin(n)$ over a nonarchimedean local field of characteristic zero is multiplicity free and also prove the analogous theorem for $\GSpin(n)$. Our proof uses the method of Aizenbud, Gourevitch, Rallis and Schiffman, who proved the analogous theorem for $\OO(n)$, and Waldspurger, who proved that for $\SO(n)$. We also give an explicit description of the contragredient of an irreducible admissible representation of $\GPin(n)$ and $\GSpin(n)$, which is needed to apply their method to our situations.