The densest lattices in \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(\mathbb Q_2)\) (Q387034)

Consider a projective linear group \(G = \mathrm{PGL}_3(\mathbb{Q}_2)\) over the \(2\)-adic rational numbers \(\mathbb{Q}_2\). A lattice in \(G\) means a discrete subgroup of finite covolume. The most famous lattice in \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(\mathbb{Q}_2)\) is the one that \textit{D. Mumford} used to construct the first example of a fake projective plane [Am. J. Math. 101, 233-244 (1979; Zbl 0433.14021)]. The authors show that Mumford's lattice has the smallest possible covolume in \(G\). The covolume is equal to \(1/21\) (assuming the Haar measure on \(G\) is normalized so that \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(\mathbb{Z}_2)\) has volume \(1\)), and there is exactly one other lattice in \(G\) with the same covolume. The two minimal covolume lattices are commensurable with the intersection having index \(8\) in each of them. The proof uses the classification of finite subgroups of \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(\mathbb{Q}_2)\), an explicit description of the stabilizers of certain Hermitian lattices and a careful analysis of their action on the Bruhat-Tits building of \(G\).