Lifting laws and arithmetic invariant theory

Abstract

In this paper we discuss lifting laws which, roughly, are ways of "lifting" elements of the open orbit of one prehomogeneous vector space to elements of the minimal nonzero orbit of another prehomogeneous vector space. We prove a handful of these lifting laws, and show how they can be used to help solve certain problems in arithmetic invariant theory. Of the results contained in this article are twisted versions of certain parametrization theorems of Bhargava.