On the SL(2) period integral

Abstract

Let E/F be a quadratic extension of number fields. For a cuspidal representation $\pi$ of SL(2,A_E), we study the non-vanishing of the period integral on SL(2,F)\SL(2,A_F). We characterise the non-vanishing of the period integral of $\pi$ in terms of $\pi$ being generic with respect to characters of E\A_E which are trivial on A_F. We show that the period integral in general is not a product of local invariant functionals, and find a necessary and sufficient condition when it is. We exhibit cuspidal representations of SL(2,A_E) whose period integral vanishes identically while each local constituent admits an SL(2)-invariant linear functional. Finally, we construct an automorphic representation $\pi$ on SL(2,A_E) which is abstractly SL(2,A_F) distinguished but none of the elements in the global L-packet determined by $\pi$ is distinguished by SL(2,A_F).