An extension of Mahler's theorem to simply connected nilpotent groups (Q876737)

Let \(G\) be a simply connected nilpotent Lie group whose Lie algebra has a \(\mathbb Q\)-structure, and let \(\Aut(G)\) be the group of bicontinuous automorphisms of \(G\). The set \(\mathcal L\) of all lattices (discrete subgroups \(\Gamma\) with compact factor groups \(G/\Gamma\)) can be topologized by the Chabauty topology. The main result of the paper under review states that a subset \({\mathcal S}\subseteq{\mathcal L}\) which is contained in a finite number of \(\Aut(G)\)-orbits has compact closure if and only if for all \(\Gamma\in\mathcal S\) the measures of the fundamental domains are bounded and there exists a fixed neighbourhood \(U\) of \(1\in G\) such that \(U\cap\Gamma=(1)\) for all \(\Gamma\in\mathcal S\). This is a noncommutative analogue of the theorem of Mahler for lattices in \(\mathbb R^n\). Applications are given for the Heisenberg groups, their quaternionic analogues and the groups built on the Cayley numbers, as well as for other interesting nilpotent Lie groups. The author gives also a generalization of the Hermite inequality.