Counting invertible matrices and uniform distribution (Q2388625)

Let \(K\) be an algebraic number field and \(O_K\) its ring of integers. The height \(\text{ht}(A)\) of a matrix \(A\) with entries in \(O_K\) is defined to be the maximum of the absolute values of the conjugates of the entries of \(A\). The author proves an asymptotic formula as \(t\to\infty\) for the number \(\text{SL}_2(O_K,t)\) of matrices in \(\text{SL}_2(O_K)\) of height at most \(t\). More precisely, he shows that \(\text{SL}_2(O_K,t)= Ct^{2n}+O(t^{2n-\eta})\) as \(t\to\infty\), where \(n\) is the degree of \(K\), \(0<\eta <{1\over 20n-5}\), and where \(C\) is a constant, explicitly given by the author in terms of the discriminant of \(K\), the value at \(2\) of the Dedekind zeta function of \(K\), and some integral depending on the signature of \(K\). To estimate the error term the author uses uniform distribution theory and estimates for generalized Kloosterman sums. The result of the author may be viewed as a refinement and extension to number fields of a very special case of a density result by \textit{W. Duke, Z. Rudnick} and \textit{P. Sarnak} [Duke Math. J. 71, 143--179 (1993; Zbl 0798.11024)] for rational integer points on affine varieties.