Determine the first-order normal-operator subspace for a nonscalar representation in the second unitary symmetric pair

Determine the dimension or precise structure of the subspace of first-order symmetry breaking operators represented by normal derivative differential operators for a nonscalar holomorphic representation of the pair $(\\mathfrak{su}(n,1),\\mathfrak{s}(\\mathfrak{u}(n-1)\\oplus\\mathfrak{u}(1,1)))$.

Background

The paper studies symmetry breaking operators between holomorphic discrete series representations for a symmetric pair (G,H)(G,H) and distinguishes operators represented by arbitrary differential operators from those represented purely by derivatives in directions normal to the embedded symmetric domain H/LH/L in G/KG/K. For first-order operators, this distinction is encoded by the subspaces V(1)∩LW,Hc\mathcal V^{(1)}\cap\mathcal L_{W,H}^c and V(1)∩U(h0)W\mathcal V^{(1)}\cap\mathcal U(\mathfrak h_0)W.

For the pair (su(n,1),s(u(n−1)⊕u(1,1)))(\mathfrak{su}(n,1),\mathfrak{s}(\mathfrak{u}(n-1)\oplus\mathfrak{u}(1,1))) and a nonscalar lowest KK-type (τ,W)(\tau,W), the authors establish that the normal first-order operators form a nontrivial proper subspace of all first-order symmetry breaking operators, but do not determine its full size. The unresolved issue is therefore to characterize or compute that subspace.

References

We only have a conjecture how large is the subspace of normal derivative operators. see \ref{sub:w0irred},\ref{exa:example2}

— Symmetry breaking differential operators and Discrete Series  (2609.19082 - Ørsted et al., 16 Sep 2026) in Section 2, discussion of the four examples; see also Sections 3 and 4, Example 2