Equivalent Definitions of Arthur Packets for Real Classical Groups

Abstract

Arthur has conjectured the existence of what are now known as Arthur packets of representations of reductive algebraic groups over local and global fields. In the case of special orthogonal and symplectic groups, he subsequently gave a definition of these packets, using local and global methods. For general real groups, an alternative approach to the definition of Arthur packets has been given by Adams-Barbasch-Vogan. This construction is purely local and uses geometric methods. Our main result is that these two definitions agree in the case of real special orthogonal and symplectic groups.