On the integral homology of \(\text{PSL}_4(\mathbb Z)\) and other arithmetic groups (Q640869)

The integral homology of arithmetic lattices is an object of interest to number theorists and group theorists. The prototypical arithmetic lattice is \(\mathrm{SL}_N(\mathbb{Z})\) and its integral homology has been computed by \textit{C. Soulé} for \(N=3\) [Topology 17, 1--22 (1978; Zbl 0382.57026)], and modulo primes up to 5 by \textit{R. Lee} and \textit{R. H. Szczarba} for \(N=4\) [Duke Math. J. 45, 101--129 (1978; Zbl 0385.18009)] and Elbaz-Vincent, Gangl and Soulé for \(N=5,6,7\). In this note the authors report on their computations of the full integral homology of \(\mathrm{PSL}_4(\mathbb{Z})\) in degrees up to five. Their starting point is to obtain a retract of the action of the group \(\mathrm{PSL}_4(\mathbb{Z})\) on the symmetric space of \(\mathrm{SL}_4(\mathbb{R})\) using Voronoi's theory of perfect forms. Once this is done they use a combinatorial lemma due to P. Hall and the second author to compute the first terms of a free \(\mathrm{PSL}_4(\mathbb{Z})\)-resolution of the trivial module \(\mathbb{Z}\). They also apply this method to the arithmetic lattices \(\mathrm{PSL}_3(\mathbb{Z}[\sqrt{-1}]), \, \mathrm{PSL}_3(\mathbb{Z}[\omega])\) (where \(\omega = \frac{-1+\sqrt{-3}}2\)) and \(\mathrm{Sp}_4(\mathbb{Z})\); for the last they retrieve a result of McConnell and McPherson. In addition, this paper gives bounds on the size of the groups \(H_n(\mathrm{PSL}_4(\mathbb{Z}))\) for \(n\geq 6\).