Stability of the exterior cube $\gamma$-factors for $\mathrm{GL}(6)$

Abstract

We prove the stability of the Langlands-Shahidi local $\gamma$-factor for the exterior cube representation of $\mathrm{GL}_6$. More precisely, if $\pi_1$ and $\pi_2$ are irreducible admissible generic representations of $\mathrm{GL}_6(F)$ with the same central character, then \[ \gamma(s,\pi_1\otimes\chi,\wedge^3,\psi)= \gamma(s,\pi_2\otimes\chi,\wedge^3,\psi) \] for every sufficiently ramified character $\chi$ of $F^\times$, where $\chi$ is regarded as a character of $\mathrm{GL}_6(F)$ through the determinant. The proof uses the realization of the exterior cube representation by the maximal parabolic subgroup of the simply connected group of type $E_6$. We give an explicit description of the relevant geometric quotient $U_M\backslash N'$, compute its invariant measure, and relate Shahidi's partial Bessel functions to partial Bessel integrals on the Levi subgroup. The desired stability then follows from an asymptotic expansion of these partial Bessel integrals and the vanishing of highly ramified Mellin transforms.