A geometric characterization of arithmetic Fuchsian groups

Abstract

The trace set of a Fuchsian group $\Gamma$ ist the set of length of closed geodesics in the surface $\Gamma \backslash \mathbb{H}$. Luo and Sarnak showed that the trace set of a cofinite arithmetic Fuchsian group satisfies the bounded clustering property. Sarnak then conjectured that the B-C property actually characterizes arithmetic Fuchsian groups. Schmutz stated the even stronger conjecture that a cofinite Fuchsian group is arithmetic if its trace set has linear growth. He proposed a proof of this conjecture in the case when the group $\Gamma$ contains at least one parabolic element, but unfortunately this proof contains a gap. In the present paper we point out this gap and we prove Sarnak's conjecture under the assumption that the Fuchsian group $\Gamma$ contains parabolic elements.