Fields of Rationality of Cusp Forms

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In this paper, we prove that for any totally real field F, weight k, and nebentypus character χ, the proportion of Hilbert cusp forms over F of weight k and character χ with bounded field of rationality approaches zero as the level grows large. This answers, in the affirmative, a question of Serre. The proof has three main inputs: first, a lower bound on fields of rationality for admissible GL₂ representations; second, an explicit computation of the (fixed-central-character) Plancherel measure for GL₂; and third, a Plancherel equidsitribution theorem for cusp forms with fixed central character. The equidistribution theorem is the key intermediate result and builds on earlier work of Shin and Shin-Templier and mirrors work of Finis-Lapid-Mueller by introducing an explicit bound for certain families of orbital integrals.