On the closedness of approximation spectra (Q988072)

The paper under review is concerned with the classical Lagrange spectrum and analogues thereof. The classical Lagrange spectrum is defined to be the set of values attained by the function, \[ c(x) = \liminf_{p,q \in {\mathbb Z}, q \rightarrow \infty} |q|^2 \left|x - {p \over q}\right|, \] where \(x\) runs over the real, irrational numbers. Among the many known properties of this set, it was shown by \textit{T. W. Cusick} [Duke Math. J. 42, 507--517 (1975; Zbl 0347.10026)] that it is a closed set. In the present paper, the authors prove a geometric result, which implies Cusick's result as well a number of new closedness results. It is shown that for \(M\) a complete Riemannian manifold of dimension at least \(2\) and sectional curvature at most \(-1\), which is also geometrically finite, the so-called asymptotic height spectrum is closed and equal to the closure of the heights of the closed geodesics in \(M\). Here, the heights in question are defined in terms of Busemann's height function relative to a cusp \(e\). The asymptotic height spectrum of \((M,e)\) is defined in terms of the positively recurrent geodesic lines starting from \(e\). The geometric result follows relatively straightforwardly from a result of \textit{F. Maucourant} [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 23, No. 1, 193--205 (2003; Zbl 1049.11068)]. The geometric result is subsequently interpreted in terms of Diophantine approximation. Here, it is shown that the analogue of Cusick's result holds true also for the approximation spectrum (the Bianchi--Lagrange spectrum) arising from the approximation of complex numbers by elements in \({\mathcal O}{\mathcal I}^{-1}\), where \({\mathcal O}\) is an order in the ring of integers in a quadratic imaginary field and \({\mathcal I}\) is a non-zero ideal in \({\mathcal O}\). It is also described how to extend this to the approximation spectrum (the Hamilton--Lagrange spectrum) coming from approximation of quaternions by ratios of elements in an order of the quaternions ramifying over the reals by elements in a non-zero, two-sided ideal in this order. Finally, an analogue for the Heisenberg group is obtained (the Heisenberg--Lagrange spectrum).