Bianchi group

For the 3-dimensional Lie groups or Lie algebras, see Bianchi classification.

In mathematics, a Bianchi group is a group of the form

PSL_2(\mathcal{O}_d)

where d is a positive square-free integer. Here, PSL denotes the projective special linear group and \mathcal{O}_d is the ring of integers of the imaginary quadratic field \mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-d}).

The groups were first studied by Bianchi (1892) as a natural class of discrete subgroups of PSL_2(\mathbb{C}), now termed Kleinian groups.

As a subgroup of PSL_2(\mathbb{C}), a Bianchi group acts as orientation-preserving isometries of 3-dimensional hyperbolic space \mathbb{H}^3. The quotient space M_d = PSL_2(\mathcal{O}_d) \backslash\mathbb{H}^3 is a non-compact, hyperbolic 3-fold with finite volume, which is also called Bianchi manifold. An exact formula for the volume, in terms of the Dedekind zeta function of the base field \mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-d}), was computed by Humbert as follows. Let D be the discriminant of \mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-d}), and \Gamma=SL_2(\mathcal{O}_d), the discontinuous action on \mathcal{H}, then

vol(\Gamma\backslash\mathbb{H})=\frac{|D|^{\frac{3}{2}}}{4\pi^2}\zeta_{\mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-d})}(2) \ .

The set of cusps of M_d is in bijection with the class group of \mathbb{Q}(\sqrt{-d}). It is well known that any non-cocompact arithmetic Kleinian group is weakly commensurable with a Bianchi group.[1]

References

  1. Maclachlan & Reid (2003) p.58

External links


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