Mod ell gamma factors and a converse theorem for finite general linear groups

The local converse theorem for Rankin-Selberg gamma factors of $\mathrm{GL}_2(\mathbb{F}_q)$ proved by Piatetski-Shapiro over $\mathbb{C}$ no longer holds after reduction modulo $\ell \neq p$. To remedy this, we construct new $\mathrm{GL}_n \times \mathrm{GL}_m$ gamma factors valued in arbitrary $\mathbb{Z}[1/p, \zeta_p]$-algebras for Whittaker-type representations, show that they satisfy a functional equation, and then prove a $\mathrm{GL}_n \times \mathrm{GL}_{n-1}$ converse theorem for irreducible cuspidal representations. In the $\mathrm{GL}_2 \times \mathrm{GL}_1$ case, we define an alternative "new" gamma factor, which takes values in $k$ and satisfies a converse theorem that matches the converse theorem in characteristic $0$.