Some cyclo-quaternionic lattices (Q1378441)

Let \(p\) be a prime. The integral lattices of rank \(p-1\) that are acted on irreducibly by \(\mathrm{SL}_2(p)\) were studied by \textit{B. H. Gross} in connection with globally irreducible representations [cf. J. Am. Math. Soc. 3, 929--960 (1990; Zbl 0745.11035)]; and they were described by \textit{W. Plesken} and \textit{G. Nebe} [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 556 (1995; Zbl 0837.20056)]. In this paper the lattices of rank \(2(p-1)\) that are acted on irreducibly by \(\mathrm{SL}_2(p)\) are described. One of the main results of the paper is that some of these lattices coincide with the very dense Mordell-Weil lattices discovered by N. Elkies and \textit{T. Shioda} [cf. Am. J. Math. 113, 931--948 (1991; Zbl 0756.14010)]. (The author's proof of this result relies heavily on representation theory. Another, very short proof, which is also outlined in the paper, is due to Elkies.) When \(p\equiv 1\pmod 4\), one of these lattices turns out to be globally irreducible as well. This lattice is the first term in the lattice series of rank \(2(p^{n}-1)\), stable under \(\mathrm{Sp}_{2n}(p)\), \(n = 1,2, \ldots\), which was constructed in the reviewer's paper [Geom. Dedicata 64, 85--123 (1997; Zbl 0867.20005)]. If \(p\equiv 1\pmod 4\), then the action of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(p)\) on the lattices is not irreducible over the real numbers, so the space of invariant bilinear forms is of dimension \(2\). Varying the scalar product on the lattices, the author was able to find some new extremal modular lattices. As a by-product, she constructed a new extremal even unimodular lattice of rank \(48\).