Subgroups of algebraic groups which are clopen in the \(S\)-congruence topology. (Q2882897)

Let \(K\) be a global field and \(S\) be a finite set of places of \(K\) which includes all those of Archimedean type. Let \(\mathbf G\) be an algebraic group over \(K\) and \(G_K\) be its \(K\)-rational points. The authors provide a detailed proof of a lemma of Raghunathan which states that (under fairly weak restrictions) the closure in the \(S\)-congruence topology of a subgroup of \(G_K\) normalized by an \(S\)-arithmetic subgroup is also open. This leads to a significant simplification in the proof of one of the principal results in a recent joint paper of the authors.NEWLINENEWLINE By applying the lemma to \(S\)-arithmetic lattices in \(\mathbf G\) of \(K\)-rank one, where \(\text{char}(K)\neq 0\) and \(|S|=1\), they can provide a lower estimate for the number of subgroups of a given index in such a lattice which are not \(S\)-congruence. This extends previous results of the first author and Andreas Schweizer.