Stabilization of the trace formula for metaplectic groups

Abstract

We stabilize the full Arthur-Selberg trace formula for the metaplectic covering of symplectic groups over a number field. This provides a decomposition of the invariant trace formula for metaplectic groups, which encodes information about the genuine $L^2$-automorphic spectrum, into a linear combination of stable trace formulas of products of split odd orthogonal groups via endoscopic transfer. By adapting the strategies of Arthur and Moeglin-Waldspurger from the linear case, the proof is built on a long induction process that mixes up local and global, geometric and spectral data. As a by-product, we also stabilize the local trace formula for metaplectic groups over any local field of characteristic zero.