Small generators for \(S\)-unit groups of division algebras. (Q2339300)

F. Grunewald and D. Segal had proved in the 1980's that there are algorithms to generate \(S\)-arithmetic subgroups in algebraic groups over number fields. For the multiplicative group \(\mathbb G_m\) over a number field \(k\), H. Lenstra showed in the 1990's that the group \(O_S^*\) of \(S\)-units is generated by elements of small height when \(S\) is large. The smallness here means that the height is bounded by \(|\mathrm{disc}(k)|^{1/2}m_S\bigl(\frac{2}{\pi}\bigr)^{r_2}\), where \(m_S\) is the maximal norm of a finite place in \(S\) (or \(1\), if there are no finite places in \(S\)). Without any condition on \(S\), one does not expect such a conclusion to hold, in view of results such as the Brauer-Siegel theorem. In this interesting paper, analogous results are developed for division algebras. It should be pointed out that a crucial complication here is the nonabelian-ness of the corresponding \(S\)-unit group. The main tool is Minkowski's lemma on lattice points. For this reason, the method here works only for division algebras because it produces a suitable non-zero element (which is not guaranteed to be invertible for a general central simple algebra). Further, to develop the analogue of Lenstra's results, the key notion of height has to be defined and developed. The generalization of Lenstra's theorem here asserts: Let \(B\) be a degree \(d\) central division algebra over a number field \(k\), which is of degree \(n\) over \(\mathbb Q\). Let \(s\) denote the number of real places of \(k\) over which \(B\) ramifies. Then, there exists a maximal order \(\mathbb D\) of \(B\) and functions \(f_1(n,d),f_2(n,d)\) satisfying the following conditions: Suppose that \(S\) is a finite set of places of \(k\) containing all the archimedean ones and all those nonarchimedean ones \(v\) for which \[ \mathrm{Norm}(v)\leq f_1(n,d)\mathrm{disc}(\mathbb D)^{2n/d(n-s)}. \] Let \(m_{S_f}\) be the maximum norm of a finite place of \(S\). Then \(2n\leq d(n-s)\) and the group \(\Gamma_S\) of \(S\)-units in \(B\) with respect to the order \(\mathbb D\) is generated by the finite set of elements of height bounded above by \(f_2(n,d)m_{S_f}\mathrm{disc}(\mathbb D)^{2n/d(n-s)}\). The authors also give explicit expressions for the functions \(f_1,f_2\) in some cases. The authors obtain the following neat, explicit theorem for the case of Hamilton's quaternions: Let \(B\) be the Hamilton quaternion algebra over \(\mathbb Q\), with basis \(\{1,I,J,IJ\}\) such that \(I^2=J^2=-1\), \(IJ=-JI\). Let \(\mathbb D=\mathbb Z\bigl[1,I,J,\frac{1+I+J+IJ}{2}\bigr]\) and let \(S=\{\infty,l_1,l_2,\ldots,l_h\}\) where \(l_i\)'s are odd primes. Then, the \(S\)-unit group \(\mathbb D_S^*\) is generated by the finite set of elements with reduced norm belonging to the set \(\{1,l_1,\ldots,l_h\}\). In a later work, the authors along with other collaborators obtained a very nice algorithm to find presentations for the \(S\)-unit groups of an order in certain definite quaternion algebras over \(\mathbb Q\).