A survey of some arithmetic applications of ergodic theory in negative curvature

This paper is a survey of some arithmetic applications of techniques in the geometry and ergodic theory of negatively curved Riemannian manifolds, focusing on the joint works of the authors. We describe Diophantine approximation results of real numbers by quadratic irrational ones, and we discuss various results on the equidistribution in $\mathbb R$, $\mathbb C$ and in the Heisenberg groups of arithmetically defined points. We explain how these results are consequences of equidistribution and counting properties of common perpendiculars between locally convex subsets in negatively curved orbifolds, proven using dynamical and ergodic properties of their geodesic flows. This exposition is based on lectures at the conference "Chaire Jean Morlet: G\'eom\'etrie et syst\`emes dynamiques", at the CIRM, Luminy, 2014. We thank B. Hasselblatt for his strong encouragements to write this survey.Comment: 31 pages, 15 figure

On the closedness of approximation spectra

Generalizing Cusick's theorem on the closedness of the classical Lagrange spectrum for the approximation of real numbers by rational ones, we prove that various approximation spectra are closed, using penetration properties of the geodesic flow in cusp neighbourhoods in negatively curved manifolds and a result of Maucourant.Comment: Revised version. To appear in J. Theor. Nombres Bordeau

Counting arcs in negative curvature

Let M be a complete Riemannian manifold with negative curvature, and let C_-, C_+ be two properly immersed closed convex subsets of M. We survey the asymptotic behaviour of the number of common perpendiculars of length at most s from C_- to C_+, giving error terms and counting with weights, starting from the work of Huber, Herrmann, Margulis and ending with the works of the authors. We describe the relationship with counting problems in circle packings of Kontorovich, Oh, Shah. We survey the tools used to obtain the precise asymptotics (Bowen-Margulis and Gibbs measures, skinning measures). We describe several arithmetic applications, in particular the ones by the authors on the asymptotics of the number of representations of integers by binary quadratic, Hermitian or Hamiltonian forms.Comment: Revised version, 44 page

On the arithmetic of crossratios and generalised Mertens' formulas

We develop the relation between hyperbolic geometry and arithmetic equidistribution problems that arises from the action of arithmetic groups on real hyperbolic spaces, especially in dimension up to 5. We prove generalisations of Mertens' formula for quadratic imaginary number fields and definite quaternion algebras over the rational numbers, counting results of quadratic irrationals with respect to two different natural complexities, and counting results of representations of (algebraic) integers by binary quadratic, Hermitian and Hamiltonian forms with error bounds. For each such statement, we prove an equidistribution result of the corresponding arithmetically defined points. Furthermore, we study the asymptotic properties of crossratios of such points, and expand Pollicott's recent results on the Schottky-Klein prime functions.Comment: 44 page