Let $G$ be a connected split reductive group over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q}$ and $X$ a smooth projective geometrically connected curve over $\mathbb{F}_{q}$. The $\ell$-adic cohomology of stacks of $G$-shtukas is a generalization of the space of automorphic forms with compact support over the function field of $X$. In this paper, we construct a constant term morphism on the cohomology of stacks of shtukas which is a generalization of the constant term morphism for automorphic forms. We also define the cuspidal cohomology which generalizes the space of cuspidal automorphic forms. Then we show that the cuspidal cohomology has finite dimension and that it is equal to the (rationally) Hecke-finite cohomology defined by V. Lafforgue.

We show that the compactly supported cohomology of certain $\text{U}(n,n)$- or $\text{Sp}(2n)$-Shimura varieties with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E4}_{1}(p^{\infty })$-level vanishes above the middle degree. The only assumption is that we work over a CM field $F$ in which the prime $p$ splits completely. We also give an application to Galois representations for torsion in the cohomology of the locally symmetric spaces for $\text{GL}_{n}/F$. More precisely, we use the vanishing result for Shimura varieties to eliminate the nilpotent ideal in the construction of these Galois representations. This strengthens recent results of Scholze [On torsion in the cohomology of locally symmetric varieties, Ann. of Math. (2) 182 (2015), 945–1066; MR 3418533] and Newton–Thorne [Torsion Galois representations over CM fields and Hecke algebras in the derived category, Forum Math. Sigma 4 (2016), e21; MR 3528275].

We show a Siegel–Weil formula in the setting of exceptional theta correspondence. Using this, together with a new Rankin–Selberg integral for the Spin L-function of $\text{PGSp}_{6}$ discovered by Pollack, we prove that a cuspidal representation of $\text{PGSp}_{6}$ is a (weak) functorial lift from the exceptional group $G_{2}$ if its (partial) Spin L-function has a pole at $s=1$.

We correct the proof of the main $\ell$-independence result of the above-mentioned paper by showing that for any smooth and proper variety over an equicharacteristic local field, there exists a globally defined such variety with the same ($p$-adic and $\ell$-adic) cohomology.