Strong representation equivalence for compact symmetric spaces of real rank one

Abstract: Let $G/K$ be a simply connected compact irreducible symmetric space of real rank one. For each $K$-type $\tau$ we compare the notions of $\tau$-representation equivalence with $\tau$-isospectrality. We exhibit infinitely many $K$-types $\tau$ so that, for arbitrary discrete subgroups $\Gamma$ and $\Gamma'$ of $G$, if the multiplicities of $\lambda$ in the spectra of the Laplace operators acting on sections of the induced $\tau$-vector bundles over $\Gamma\backslash G/K$ and $\Gamma'\backslash G/K$ agree for all but finitely many $\lambda$, then $\Gamma$ and $\Gamma'$ are $\tau$-representation equivalent in $G$ (i.e.\ $\dim \operatorname{Hom}G(V\pi, L^2(\Gamma\backslash G))=\dim \operatorname{Hom}G(V\pi, L^2(\Gamma'\backslash G))$ for all $\pi\in \widehat G$ satisfying $\operatorname{Hom}K(V\tau,V_\pi)\neq0$). In particular $\Gamma\backslash G/K$ and $\Gamma'\backslash G/K$ are $\tau$-isospectral (i.e.\ the multiplicities agree for all $\lambda$). We specially study the case of $p$-form representations, i.e. the irreducible subrepresentations $\tau$ of the representation $\tau_p$ of $K$ on the $p$-exterior power of the complexified cotangent bundle $\bigwedge^p T_{\mathbb C}^*M$. We show that for such $\tau$, in most cases $\tau$-isospectrality implies $\tau$-representation equivalence. We construct an explicit counter-example for $G/K= \operatorname{SO}(4n)/ \operatorname{SO}(4n-1)\simeq S^{4n-1}$.