Infinite dimensional multiplicity free spaces III: matrix coefficients and regular functions

In earlier papers we studied direct limits \({(G,\,K) = \varinjlim\, (G_n,K_n)}\) of two types of Gelfand pairs. The first type was that in which the G _n /K _n are compact Riemannian symmetric spaces. The second type was that in which \({G_n = N_n\rtimes K_n}\) with N _n nilpotent, in other words pairs (G _n , K _n ) for which G _n /K _n is a commutative nilmanifold. In each we worked out a method inspired by the Frobenius–Schur Orthogonality Relations to define isometric injections \({\zeta_{m,n}: L^2(G_n/K_n) \hookrightarrow L^2(G_m/K_m)}\) for m ≧ n and prove that the left regular representation of G on the Hilbert space direct limit \({L^2(G/K) := \varinjlim L^2(G_n/K_n)}\) is multiplicity-free. This left open questions concerning the nature of the elements of L ²(G/K). Here we define spaces \({\mathcal{A}(G_n/K_n)}\) of regular functions on G _n /K _n and injections \({\nu_{m,n} : \mathcal{A}(G_n/K_n) \to \mathcal{A}(G_m/K_m)}\) for m ≧ n related to restriction by \({\nu_{m,n}(f)|_{G_n/K_n} = f}\). Thus the direct limit \({\mathcal{A}(G/K) := \varinjlim \{\mathcal{A}(G_n/K_n), \nu_{m,n}\}}\) sits as a particular G-submodule of the much larger inverse limit \({\varprojlim \{\mathcal{A}(G_n/K_n), {\rm restriction}\}}\). Further, we define a pre Hilbert space structure on \({\mathcal{A}(G/K)}\) derived from that of L ²(G/K). This allows an interpretation of L ²(G/K) as the Hilbert space completion of the concretely defined function space \({\mathcal{A}(G/K)}\), and also defines a G-invariant inner product on \({\mathcal{A}(G/K)}\) for which the left regular representation of G is multiplicity-free.