Ends of locally symmetric spaces with maximal bottom spectrum

Let X be a symmetric space of non-compact type and Gamma/X a locally symmetric space. Then the bottom spectrum lambda(1)(Gamma\X) satisfies the inequality lambda 1(Gamma\X) <= lambda(1)(X). We show that if equality lambda 1(Gamma\X) = lambda(1)(X) holds, then Gamma/X has either one end, which is necessarily of infinite volume, or two ends, one of infinite volume and another of finite volume. In the latter case, Gamma\X is isometric to R-1 x N endowed with a multi-warped metric, where N is compact.