The density of representation degrees. (Q713956)

For a group \(G\) and a positive real number \(x\), define \(d_G(x)\) to be the number of integers less than \(x\) which are dimensions of irreducible complex representations of \(G\). The authors study the asymptotics of the density function \(d_G(x)\) for algebraic groups, arithmetic groups and finitely generated linear groups (when \(G\) is complex algebraic or profinite, only rational representations and continuous representations, respectively, are allowed). In the case of complex simple algebraic groups their main result is: let \(G\) be a simply connected simple algebraic group of rank \(r\) over \(\mathbb C\) and let \(u\) be the number of positive roots in the root system of \(G\); then there is a constant \(c\) depending only on \(G\) such that \(x^{r/u-c/\log\log x}\leq d_G(x)\leq x^{r/u+(r-1)/\log\log x}\). For arithmetic groups the authors prove: let \(k\) be an algebraic number field, let \(G\) be an absolutely simple, simply connected \(k\)-group, and let \(\Gamma=G(O_S)\) where \(S\) is a finite set of primes of \(k\) and \(O_S\) is the ring of \(S\)-integers; if \(\Gamma\) has the congruence subgroup property, then \(d_\Gamma(x)=x^{r/u+o(1)}\), where \(r\) is the rank of \(G\) and \(u\) is the number of positive roots. The previous results are a major ingredient in the proof of an interesting alternative for finitely generated linear groups \(G\) in characteristic zero: either there exists \(\alpha>0\) such that \(d_G(x)>x^\alpha\) for all large \(x\), or \(G\) is virtually Abelian (in which case \(d_G(x)\) is bounded).