Thin subgroups isomorphic to Gromov-Piatetski-Shapiro lattices (Q2226651)

A Zariski-dense subgroup \(\Gamma\subset \mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\) is called thin, if it is an infinite index subgroup in some lattice \(\Lambda\subset \mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\). There are several constructions, which yield thin subgroups that are virtually free or isomorphic to surface groups. Moreover, \textit{S. A. Ballas} and \textit{D. D. Long} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 20, No. 4, 2071--2093 (2020; Zbl 1475.57032)] showed that arithmetic lattices of orthogonal type (e.g., non-uniform arithmetic lattices) in \(\mathrm{SO}(n,1)\) are always thin subgroups of \(\mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\). The paper under review shows that the non-arithmetic lattices in \(\mathrm{SO}(n,1)\) constructed by \textit{M. Gromov} and \textit{I. I. Piatetski-Shapiro} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 66, 93--103 (1988; Zbl 0649.22007)] are thin subgroups of \(\mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\). The examples by Gromov and Piatetski-Shapiro are built by taking certain pairs of non-commensurable arithmetic lattices \(\Gamma_1,\Gamma_2\) that contain a common subgroup \(\widehat{\Gamma}\) which is a lattice in \(\mathrm{SO}(n-1,1)\). Geometrically, the latter corresponds to a common totally geodesic hypersurface in the hyperbolic manifolds \(\Gamma_1\backslash\mathbf{H}^n\) and \(\Gamma_2\backslash\mathbf{H}^n\). Cutting off both manifolds along this hypersurface \(\Sigma\) and glueing the complements along \(\Sigma\) yields a hyperbolic manifold \(\Delta\backslash\mathbf{H}^n\), where \(\Delta\) is some non-arithmetic lattice. The construction in the paper under review is to take elements \(c_t=\mathrm{diag}(e^{-nt},e^t,\ldots,e^t)\in \mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\) in the centralizer of \(SO(n-1,1)\), and then perform a bending construction, i.e., conjugate the representation of \(\Gamma_2\) by \(c_t\), which acts trivially on \(\pi_1\Sigma\subset \mathrm{SO}(n-1,1)\) and therefore combines with the (unchanged) representation of \(\Gamma_1\) to a representation of \(\Delta\). The so obtained subgroups \(\Delta_t\subset \mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\) are isomorphic to \(\Delta\) and for suitable values of \(t\) they are contained in some arithmetically defined lattice \(\Lambda\subset \mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\). They are Zariski-dense (this follows from the bending construction using results of \textit{Y. Benoist} [in: Algebraic groups and arithmetic. Proceedings of the international conference, Mumbai, India, December 17--22, 2001. New Delhi: Narosa Publishing House/Published for the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. 339--374 (2004; Zbl 1084.37026)]) and they must necessarily have infinite index in \(\Lambda\), because otherwise they would be lattices themselves, contradicting the Mostow rigidity theorem. (Isomorphisms between lattices extend to isomorphisms between surrounding groups, thus no lattice in \(\mathrm{SO}(n,1)\) can be isomorphic to a lattice in \(\mathrm{SL}(n+1,\mathbb{R})\).)