  The analytic properties of automorphic L-functions have historically been
obtained either through integral representations (the "Rankin-Selberg method"),
or properties of the Fourier expansions of Eisenstein series (the
"Langlands-Shahidi method"). We introduce a method based on pairings of
automorphic distributions, that appears to be applicable to a wide variety of
L-functions, including all which have integral representations. In some sense
our method could be considered a completion of the Rankin-Selberg method
because of its common features.
  We consider a particular but representative example, the exterior square
L-functions on GL(n), by constructing a pairing which we compute as a product
of this L-function times an explicit ratio of Gamma functions. We use this to
deduce that exterior square L-functions, when multiplied by the Gamma factors
predicted by Langlands, are holomorphic on C-{0,1} with at most simple poles at
0 and 1, proving a conjecture of Langlands which has not been obtained by the
existing two methods.
