Stepwise square integrable representations of nilpotent Lie groups

We study the conditions for a nilpotent Lie group to be foliated into subgroups that have square integrable (relative discrete series) unitary representations, that fit together to form a filtration by normal subgroups. Then we use that filtration to construct a class of “stepwise square integrable” representations on which Plancherel measure is concentrated. Further, we work out the character formulae for those stepwise square integrable representations, and we give an explicit Plancherel formula. Next, we use some structure theory to check that all these constructions and results apply to nilradicals of minimal parabolic subgroups of real reductive Lie groups. Finally, we develop multiplicity formulae for compact quotients $N/varGamma $ where $varGamma $ respects the filtration.