Special subgroups of Bianchi groups (Q2180191): Difference between revisions

A group \(G\) is \emph{special} if it embeds in a right-angled Artin group or in a right-angled Coxeter group. More generally, we say that \(G\) is \emph{virtually special} if it contains a special subgroup of finite index. Any fundamental group of a finite volume hyperbolic \(3\)-manifold is virtually special and this fact has remarkable applications in the topology of these manifolds. The paper under review addresses the natural task of finding effectively a special subgroup for a fixed virtually special group and estimating its index. The author has successfully solved this issue for an important class of arithmetic groups of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{C})\) which includes the Bianchi groups. Indeed, the main result of the paper is the following: Let \(m\) be a square-free positive integer and \(\mathcal{O}_m\) the ring of integers of the quadratic imaginary field \(\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-m})\). The Bianchi group \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathcal{O}_m)\) contains an explicit congruence subgroup \(\Delta_m\) which is special and satisfies \begin{align*} [\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathcal{O}_m): \Delta_m]= & \begin{cases} 48 & \text{if }m\equiv 1,2 \mod (4) \\ 120 & \text{if }m\equiv 3 \mod (8) \\ 72 & \text{if }m\equiv 7 \mod (8) \end{cases} \end{align*} Using the geometry of right-angled Coxeter groups, she proves that for all \(m\), the special group \(\Delta_m\) retracts onto the free group on \(2\) generators. Using the same idea applied for Bianchi groups, she constructs explicit special subgroups of cocompact arithmetic groups of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{C})\). The paper is well written and the reader almost does not need to search more references beyond the paper. The ideas of the proofs are made clear and explicit.