Representation varieties of arithmetic groups and polynomial periodicity of Betti numbers (Q1343845): Difference between revisions

The paper contains several results about character varieties of arithmetic groups and their congruence representations. An important application is a periodicity theorem for Betti numbers which we formulate below. Let \(\mathcal H\) be an algebraic \(\mathbb{Q}\)-subgroup of \(\text{SL}_m\) and \(\mathcal N\) its unipotent radical. It is supposed that \({\mathcal H}/{\mathcal N}\) is a connected, algebraically simply connected, semisimple \(\mathbb{Q}\)-group with only \(\mathbf R\)-isotropic almost \(\mathbb{Q}\)-simple factors. Denote \(H ={\mathcal H}(\mathbb{Z})\) and, for any integer \(K > 0\), define the congruence subgroup \({\mathcal H}(K)=\{X\in H,X\equiv I\bmod K\}\). Let \(H_K=H/{\mathcal H}(K)\). Let \(M\) be a connected topological space with the homotopy type of a finite CW complex and fix a surjective homomorphism \(\pi_1(M)\to H\). Given a finite dimensional complex representation \(\tau\) of \(H_K\), we obtain a representation of \(\pi_1(M)\) and hence a locally constant sheaf \(V_\tau\) on \(M\). Denote \(\beta^q(M,\tau)=\dim H^q(M,V_\tau)\) and \(\beta^{q,\nu}_K=\nu \sum\beta^q(M,\tau)\), where the summation runs over all irreducible \(\tau\) of dimension \(\nu\). If \(\mathcal H\) has a \(\mathbb{Q}\)-Levi factor \(\mathcal G\) such that \({\mathcal H}(\mathbb{Z})={\mathcal G}(\mathbb{Z}){\mathcal N}(\mathbb{Z})\), then the sequence \(\beta^{q,\nu}_K\), \(K=1,2,\dots,\) is polynomial-periodic (i.e. a polynomial in \(K\) whose coefficients depend on \(K\) periodically). This result generalizes those of \textit{P. Sarnak} and the author [ibid. 88, 31-72 (1994; Zbl 0843.11027)].