Cheeger constants of arithmetic hyperbolic 3-manifolds (Q610621)

Let \(M\) be an \(n\)-dimensional Riemannian manifold of finite volume. Let \(N\) be a codimension \(1\)-submanifold of \(M\) that disconnects \(M\) into two manifolds \(A\) and \(B\). Let \[ h(M,N):={\text{vol}(N)\over\min(\text{vol}(A),\text{vol}(B))}\,. \] The Cheeger constant \(h(M)\) is defined to be \(\inf_Nh(M,N)\). Let \(\lambda_1(M)\) be the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian on \(M\). \textit{J. Cheeger} [Probl. Analysis, Sympos. in Honor of Salomon Bochner, Princeton Univ. 1969, 195--199 (1970; Zbl 0212.44903)] showed \(\lambda_1(M)\geq{1\over4}h(M)^2\). The authors examine the Cheeger constant of certain families of arithmetic hyperbolic \(3\)-manifolds deriving computable bounds on the Cheeger constants and thereby bounds on the first eigenvalue of the Laplacian. Methods of \textit{R. Brooks, P. Perry} and \textit{P. V. Petersen} are used [Comment. Math. Helv. 68, No.~4, 599--621 (1993; Zbl 0809.53049)]. Probabilistic methods of \textit{R. Brooks} and \textit{A. Zuk} [J. Differ. Geom. 62, No.~1, 49--78 (2002; Zbl 1065.05091)] are used to obtain sharper asymptotic bounds. The Cheeger constants are quite small; this implies that the Cheeger inequality is in general not sufficient to prove Selberg's eigenvalue conjecture.