Abstract:

The spectral decomposition of the Hilbert space of automorphic functions is a very old and central topic in number theory, and mathematics in general. In particular, the Eisenstein series produce automorphic functions on a group G from automorphic functions on its Levi subgroups and one is interested in spectrally decomposing them. I will review some classical as well as recent results in this area, with an emphasis on some potential points of contact with the more traditional topics discussed in this seminar.