Endoscopy and the cohomology of GL(n)

Abstract

In this article we study the nonvanishing of cuspidal cohomology for GL(n). Using endoscopic transfer from various classical groups we construct cuspidal representations of GL(n) of cohomological type while working over a totally real field or a totally imaginary quadratic extension of a totally real field. Generalizing a construction of Laurent Clozel, we also prove nonvanishing of cuspidal cohomology of GL(2n) over any number field but only for coefficient systems coming from parallel weights. Working at an arithmetic level, we also draw some inferences on an endoscopic stratification of inner cohomology of GL(n).