Theorem
Bianchi groups are nonuniform lattices
Bianchi groups are discrete and have finite covolume but noncompact quotient.
Statement
Every Bianchi group is a nonuniform lattice in . Thus it is discrete, and its hyperbolic quotient is noncompact with finite volume.
Discreteness directly
In the chosen complex embedding, is generated over by two real-linearly independent complex numbers. It is therefore discrete in . Matrices with these entries form a discrete subset of ; passing to the finite central quotient preserves discreteness.
What needs more than discreteness
Finite covolume requires reduction theory; it does not follow merely from integral entries. Noncompactness is witnessed by cusps, including the end associated to the boundary point . The volume formula and cusp correspondence give more precise statements.
References
- T. Church, B. Farb, and A. Putman, Integrality in the Steinberg module and the top-dimensional cohomology of SL_n O_K, Example 5.6, p. 31 of the linked version. Author-hosted paper
- F. Paulin, Regards croisés sur les séries de Poincaré et leurs applications, Theorem 6, p. 12. Author’s text