Strictly small representations and a reduction theorem for the unitary dual

To any irreducible unitary representation $X$ of a real reductive Lie group we associate in a canonical way, a Levi subgroup $G_{su}$ and a representation of this subgroup. Assuming a conjecture of the authors on the infinitesimal character of $X$, we show that $X$ is cohomologically induced from a unitary representation of the subgroup $G_{su}$. This subgroup is in some cases smaller than the subgroup $G_{u}$ that the authors attached to $X$ in earlier work. In those cases this provides a further reduction to the classification problem.