A cyclotomic family of thin hypergeometric monodromy groups in \({\mathrm{Sp}}_4({\mathbb{R}})\) (Q6149938)

A question about the monodromy group concerns its relation to the ambient arithmetic lattice. The most interesting case is when the monodromy representation identifies the orbifold fundamental group of the base with the corresponding arithmetic lattice, and this leads to uniformization of algebraic manifolds by domains. In a different direction, the representation can surject (with large kernel) onto a finite index subgroup of the arithmetic group. Results of this nature have been obtained recently by \textit{S. Singh} and \textit{T. N. Venkataramana} [Duke Math. J. 163, No. 3, 591--617 (2014; Zbl 1287.22005)]. Finally, the image of the representation can be an infinite index subgroup of the lattice, which is called ``thin'', and this is the case that the authors are studying. Specifically, they exhibit an infinite family of hypergeometric parameters with monodromy a discrete subgroup in \(\mathbf{Sp}_{4}(\mathbb{R})\) and explicitly describe domains of discontinuity for these groups in the Lagrangian Grassmannian of \(\mathbb{R}^{4}\). These domains and associated groups lead to new, non-classical, uniformization results for variations of Hodge structure with Hodge numbers \((1,1,1,1)\). Previously, an infinite family of thin monodromy groups has been obtained by \textit{E. Fuchs} et al. in [J. Eur. Math. Soc. (JEMS) 16, No. 8, 1617--1671 (2014; Zbl 1347.20054)], inside the indefinite orthogonal group \(\mathbf{SO}_{1,n}(\mathbb{R})\), finitely many for each \(n\), and arbitrarily large \(n\). By different methods, \textit{C. Brav} and \textit{H. Thomas}, in [Compos. Math. 150, No. 3, 333--343 (2014; Zbl 1311.14010)], exhibited 7 parameters for which the monodromy group is thin in \(\mathbf{Sp}_{4}(\mathbb{Z}) \subset \mathbf{Sp}_{4}(\mathbb{R})\). The methods used by the authors are closely related to those of Brav and Thomas.