Skip to main content
8 of 20
added 619 characters in body
GH from MO
  • 105.2k
  • 8
  • 292
  • 398

Excellent question indeed. The quick answer is that $E_2(z)$ is an almost holomorphic modular form of weight $2$, so it does not belong to an automorphic representation in the usual sense of the word. For more details (and my thought process), read below.

Consider the Maass raising operator $$ R:=y\left(i\frac{\partial}{\partial x}+\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\right).$$ Let $(m,n)\in\mathbb{Z}^2$ be a nonzero pair of integers. Then a small calculation gives that, for $z=x+iy$, $$ R\left(\frac{y^s}{|mz+n|^{2s}}\right) =\frac{sy^s}{(mz+n)^2|mz+n|^{2s-2}}.$$

Now let us introduce the usual weight $0$ level $1$ (nonholomorphic) Eisenstein series $$ E(z,s):=\sum_{\substack{m, n \in \mathbb{Z} \\ (m, n) \ne (0,0)}} \frac{\operatorname{Im}(z)^s}{|mz + n|^{2s}},$$ then we see that $$ R\,E(z,s+1) = (s+1)\,yE_2(z,s).\tag{$\ast$}$$ On the right hand side, $yE_2(z,s)$ is the canonical weight $2$ level $1$ (nonholomorphic) Eisenstein series, the one which transforms as a weight $2$ Maass form. It is worthwhile to recall here that weight $k$ holomorphic forms embed into the weight $k$ Maass spectrum by multiplying each weight $k$ holomorphic form by $y^{k/2}$. In our case $k=2$, which explains why we multiply by $y$.

So your Eisenstein series, after inserting the factor $y$ to make it into a canonical weight $2$ form, and also insertig the scaling factor $s+1$, equals the Maass raising shift of $E(z,s+1)$. It belongs to the same automorphic representation as $E(z,s+1)$, hence it has the same Langlands parameters as $E(z,s+1)$ at every place. In particular, the archimedean Langlands parameters are $$ (s+1)-\frac{1}{2}=s+\frac{1}{2}\qquad\text{and}\qquad \frac{1}{2}-(s+1)=-s-\frac{1}{2}.$$

Added and revised. Well, we still need to specify all this to $s=0$, but in this case the above argument breaks down, because $E(z,s+1)$ does not exist in this case (it has a pole at $s=0$). So we need to be more careful. Let us use the results and notation of Section 4 of Duke-Friedlander-Iwaniec: The subconvexity problem for Artin L-functions (Invent. Math. 149 (2002), 489-577). Then for $\Re s>1$ we have the Fourier decomposition \begin{align*} \frac{1}{2}E(z,s)&=\ \zeta(2s)y^s+\pi^{2s-1}\frac{\Gamma(1-s)}{\Gamma(s)}\zeta(2-2s)y^{1-s}\\&+\ \frac{\pi^s}{\Gamma(s)}\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{\sigma_{2s-1}(n)}{n^s}\bigl\{f_0^+(nz,s)+f_0^-(nz,s)\bigr\}.\end{align*} Let us replace $s$ by $s+1$ here, and then apply the raising operator $R$ along with $(\ast)$. Then for $\Re s>0$ we obtain the Fourier decomposition \begin{align*} \frac{1}{2}E_2(z,s)&=\ \zeta(2s+2)y^s+\pi^{2s+1}\frac{\Gamma(1-s)}{\Gamma(2+s)}\zeta(-2s)y^{-s-1}\\&-\ \frac{\pi^{s+1}}{y\Gamma(2+s)}\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{\sigma_{2s+1}(n)}{n^{s+1}}\bigl\{f_2^+(nz,s+1)+s(s+1)f_2^-(nz,s+1)\bigr\}.\end{align*} The right hand side is indeed holomorphic at $s=0$, and at this value it specifies to \begin{align*} \frac{1}{2}E_2(z)&=\ \frac{\pi^2}{6}-\frac{\pi}{2y}- \frac{\pi}{y}\sum_{n=1}^\infty\frac{\sigma_1(n)}{n}f_2^+(nz,1)\\ &=\ \frac{\pi^2}{6}-\frac{\pi}{2y}-4\pi^2\sum_{n=1}^\infty\sigma_1(n)e(nz).\end{align*} I hope I got everything right. At any rate, it is clear now that the $L$-function of $E_2(z)$ is $\zeta(s-1)\zeta(s)$, and $E_2(z)$ should belong to the holomorphic discrete series of weight $2$ even though its constant term is not holomorphic. I think this paradox arises from the fact that $E_2(z)$ is not a true automorphic form.

Added 2. Indeed, $E_2(z)$ is an almost holomorphic modular form of weight $2$. See Section 2.3 of Bruinier-v.d.Geer-Harder-Zagier's book "The 1-2-3 of modular forms", in which $G_2^*(z)$ is precisely our $\frac{1}{2}E_2(z)$ above. In particular, (19) and (21) reveal that $E_2(z)$ indeed transforms precisely like a weight $2$ holomorphic modular form (i.e. without any correction terms), even though it is not holomorphic. One can learn more about almost holomorphic modular forms in Section 5.3 of the book.

GH from MO
  • 105.2k
  • 8
  • 292
  • 398