Explicit Formulas from the Continuous Spectrum

Abstract

The purpose of this note is to announce the results of our investigation into the role played by the continuous spectrum in the development of the Selberg trace formula vis-à-vis a pair $(G,\Gamma )$. For the sake of simplicity, we shall restrict ourselves to a "rank-2" situation, a case in point being when $G=\text{SL}(3,\mathbb{R}),\Gamma =\text{SL}(3,\mathbb{Z})$. Full details (in all generality) will appear elsewhere.