Free groups generated by two unipotent maps
Discreteness and freeness criteria for subgroups of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{C})\) or \(\mathrm{PU}(2,1)\) generated by two matrices have been studied for a very long time, starting with Shimizu-Leutbecher to Jorgensen and Hersonsky and Wielenberg; and in a more general set-up by Margulis.\N\NIn an earlier paper, the second author and Wei Liao provided criteria that are sufficient for discreteness and freeness of a 2-generated subgroup of \(\mathrm{PU}(2,1)\), when the two generating matrices are screw parabolic, with distinct fixed points.\N\NRecall that an isometry of the complex hyperbolic \(2\)-space (an element of \(\mathrm{PU}(2,1)\)) is parabolic if it has a unique fixed point on the boundary; one may take the fixed point to be \(\infty\) using the Siegel domain model of complex hyperbolic \(2\)-space. So, this isometry is either a Heisenberg translation or a screw parabolic map. The latter nomenclature arises from the fact that there is a chain through \(\infty\) in the boundary along which the isometry translates and then rotates the contact plane at all points of the chain. The criteria for discreteness and freeness almost always use some form of the ping-pong lemma of Klein; \textit{W. Liao} and \textit{B. Xie} [Geom. Dedicata 218, No. 6, Paper No. 107, 22 p. (2024; Zbl 1555.22013)] also did so.\N\NIn the paper under review here, the authors consider the group generated by two unipotent matrices of the form \N\[\NA = \N\begin{pmatrix} \N1 & -\sqrt{2}s_1e^{-i \theta_1} & -s_1^2 + it_1 \\\N0 & 1 & \sqrt{2}s_1e^{i \theta_1} \\\N0 & 0 & 1 \\\N\end{pmatrix}\quad \text{and}\quad\NB =\N\begin{pmatrix} \N1 & 0 & 0 \\\N\sqrt{2}s_2e^{i \theta_2} & 1 & 0\\\N-s_2^2 + it_2 & -\sqrt{2}s_2e^{-i \theta_2} & 1 \N\end{pmatrix},\N\] \Nwhere \(s_1, s_2>0\) real and \(t_1, t_2\) are real and \(\theta_1, \theta_2 \in [-\pi, \pi]\). These are Heisenberg translations; \textit{S. B. Kalane} and \textit{J. R. Parker} [Math. Z. 303, No. 1, Paper No. 9, 23 p. (2023; Zbl 1531.22004)] had obtained conditions that ensure that \(\langle A,B\rangle\) is discrete and freely generated by \(A,B\). After presenting an overview of their results, the present paper uses the above-mentioned variant of Klein's lemma used earlier by Liao and Xie [loc. cit.] to strengthen Parker and Kalane's results [loc. cit.]. The authors also prove some other discreteness and freeness results; further the paper also serves a useful purpose by summarizing these types of methods succinctly.
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