Counting non-uniform lattices (Q2317678)

Let \(H\) be a simple Lie group of real rank \(rk_{\mathbf{R}}(H)\ge 2\). By Wang's Theorem there are only finitely many lattices of covolume smaller \(x\) for a given \(x\). In [Adv. Math. 229, No. 6, 3123--3146 (2012; Zbl 1241.22014)], the authors proved that the number \(L_H(x)\) of lattices of covolume smaller \(x\) grows like \(x^{\log x}\) asymptotically. In the present paper, the authors prove that for most \(H\) the number \(L_H^{nu}(x)\) of non-uniform lattices of covolume smaller \(x\) grows like \(x^{\log x/\log \log x}\) with \(\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{\log L_H^{nu}(x)}{(\log x)^2/\log \log x}=\frac{(\sqrt{R(R+1)}-R)^2}{4R^2}\), where \(R=R(H)=\sharp\Phi_+/l\) is the ratio of the order of the set of positive roots and the rank of the root system of \(H\). More precisely, the authors prove this asymptotic if \(H\) is ``2-generic''. This means that if \(G\) is a split form of \(H\), then the center of the simply connected cover of \(G\) is a \(2\)-group and \(G\) has no outer automorphism of order three. This is the case for most \(H\), namely if it is not of type \(E_6\) or \(D_4\) or \(A_n\) for \(n+1\) a power of \(2\). The result says that there are more uniform than non-uniform lattices, a phenomenon occurring only in characteristic zero. The proof uses classical algebraic number theory, namely Gauss' bound on the \(2\)-rank of the class group of quadratic fields. A proof for the remaining cases (i.e. groups which are not \(2\)-generic) would require (and actually be essentially equivalent to) bounds on the \(l\)-ranks for all primes \(l\).