Equidistribution in \(S\)-arithmetic and adelic spaces (Q2339509)

The author gives an informal overview of how a standard dynamical example (mixing of the geodesic flow on hyperbolic surfaces) is expanded to the general setting of studying the distribution of Hecke spheres via adelic mixing. The classical starting point is to understand the number of points in a modular surface which lie in a ball of given radius. References to the thesis of \textit{G. A. Margulis} [Funct. Anal. Appl. 3, 335--336 (1969; Zbl 0207.20305); translation from Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 3, No. 4, 89--90 (1969)] and the survey of \textit{A. Eskin} and \textit{C. McMullen} [Duke Math. J. 71, No. 1, 181--209 (1993; Zbl 0798.11025)] are given which explain this problem thoroughly, and the presentation of this standard dynamics problem is meant to provide a familiar starting point for dynamicists who are not familiar with Hecke spheres or adelic mixing. With the dynamicists placed at ease, the author defines \(X(1)\), the space of unmarked lattices in \(\mathbb{R}^2\) up to similarity. The \textit{Hecke correspondence} on \(X(1)\) is the map which assigns to each \([\Lambda] \in X(1)\) the set of all classes \([\Lambda']\) of sublattices of index \(N\). The distribution of these sets (\textit{Hecke spheres}) as \(N \rightarrow \infty\) is the object of interest, and their equidistribution towards the hyperbolic area \(\mu\) on \(X(1)\) the primary result. The author gives reference to several proofs based in harmonic analysis or the theory of unipotent flows as a bit of motivation, but focuses on the proof of \textit{L. Clozel}, \textit{H. Oh} and \textit{E. Ullmo} [Invent. Math. 144, No. 2, 327--351 (2001; Zbl 1144.11301)] based on adelic mixing. By starting with a discussion of standard dynamics results and pointing towards dynamic proofs of the central result, the author aims to convince dynamicists that the formalism of \(p\)-adic and adelic groups is not completely foreign. The first half of the paper spends considerable effort defining the Hecke correspondence in a way that proceeds as a generalization of the modular surface, and the second half works towards showing that the adeles, with a Haar measure and a theorem regarding mixing (Theorem 3.1), provide a powerful way to understand equidistribution of Hecke spheres. Numerous references to the more technical reference papers are given; the aim of this paper is not to provide all details of the most general theorem possible, but rather to elucidate the connection between the number theory and geometry of hyperbolic surfaces with the theory of adelic mixing.