Controlling manifold covers of orbifolds

DOI10.4310/MRL.2009.V16.N4.A8MaRDI QIDQ730680zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors D. B. McReynolds

Publication date 12 October 2009

Published in Mathematical Research Letters (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0901.4239

zbMATH Keywords

arithmetic latticecusp cross-sectionhyperbolic spaceSelberg's lemmasubgroup separability

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Linear algebraic groups over the reals, the complexes, the quaternions (20G20) Groups as automorphisms of other structures (22F50) General geometric structures on low-dimensional manifolds (57M50) Geometric structures on manifolds of high or arbitrary dimension (57N16)

Abstract: In this article we prove a generalization of Selberg's lemma on the existence of torsion free, finite index subgroups of arithmetic groups. Some of the geometric applications are the resolution a conjecture of Nimershiem and answers to questions of Long-Reid and the author.

Review text

The author proves a generalization of Selberg's lemma for arithmetic groups that has several geometric applications. The main theorem is stated as follows. Given a semisimple element in \(GL(n,\mathbb{Z})\), and a torsion-free subgroup \(\Gamma\) that is virtually unipotent, there exists a finite index subgroup of \(GL(n,\mathbb{Z})\) that contains \(\Gamma\) and is disjoint from the conjugacy class of the given semisimple element. Recall that an element is semisimple if it can be diagonalized, and that a unipotent subgroup is conjugated to a group of upper triangular matrices. As a corollary, since there are finitely many conjugacy classes of torsion elements, the finite index subgroup of \(GL(n,\mathbb{Z})\) is torsion free. In addition, the same result applies to arithmetic groups. Several applications of this result are explained in the paper, mainly for arithmetic groups of hyperbolic isometries, where \(\Gamma\) is a parabolic subgroup. For instance, every closed flat \(n\)-manifold is shown to be diffeomorphic to the cusp cross section of an arithmetic hyperbolic \((n+1)\)-manifold. A slightly weaker version was proved by \textit{D. D. Long} and \textit{A. W. Reid} [Algebr. Geom. Topol. 2, 285--296 (2002; Zbl 0998.57038)], with an arithmetic \((n+1)\)-orbifold, and McReynold's theorem allows to replace the orbifold by a manifold. Another application is the proof of a conjecture of \textit{B. E. Nimershiem} [Topology Appl. 90, No.~1--3, 109--133 (1998; Zbl 0927.57010)]: the set of similarity classes of flat structures on a closed \(n\) manifold that can be realized in cusp cross sections of hyperbolic \((n+1)\)-manifolds is dense. In addition, the hyperbolic \((n+1)\)-manifolds can be assumed to be arithmetic. The analogues for complex and quaternionic hyperbolic spaces are also discussed.

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Cited in

(7)

• Peripheral separability and cusps of arithmetic hyperbolic orbifolds
• Arithmetic cusp shapes are dense
• Virtually spinning hyperbolic manifolds
• Some hyperbolic three-manifolds that bound geometrically
• All flat manifolds are cusps of hyperbolic orbifolds
• Nil 3-manifolds and cusps of complex hyperbolic surfaces
• Some cusp-transitive hyperbolic 4-manifolds

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