Proof of the positive trace gap conjecture

Abstract: We prove that a lattice $Γ$ in $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb{R})$ or $\mathrm{PSL}_2(\mathbb C)$ has positive trace gap, meaning that its traces are uniformly separated, if and only if it is derived from an admissible quaternion algebra. For cocompact Fuchsian groups, this proves the positive trace gap conjecture attributed to Sarnak by Geninska and Leuzinger in 2008. The same characterization by quaternion algebras holds if the difference set of traces is not dense. Our method also gives a similar result for lattices in $\mathrm{SL}_d(\mathbb R)$, for every $d\ge3$: a lattice $Γ<\mathrm{SL}_d(\mathbb R)$ has positive trace gap if and only if all its traces are integers. Equivalently, after conjugation, it has finite index in the norm-one group of an order in a central simple algebra of degree $d$ over $\mathbb Q$ that splits over $\mathbb R$. We also discuss spectral consequences and other applications of the results and techniques.