On linear periods

Abstract: Let $\pi'$ be a cuspidal automorphic representation of $GL_{2n}$, which is assumed to be the Jacquet-Langlands transfer from a cuspidal automorphic representation $\pi$ of $GL_{2m}(D)$, where $D$ is a division algebra so that $GL_{2m}(D)$ is an inner form of $GL_{2n}$. In this paper, we consider the relation between linear periods on $\pi$ and $\pi'$. We conjecture that the non-vanishing of the linear period on $\pi$ would imply the non-vanishing of that on $\pi'$. We illustrate an approach using a relative trace formula towards this conjecture, and prove the existence of smooth transfer over non-archimedean local fields.