On the paucity of lattice triangles

Abstract

A rational triangle $T$ (one whose angles are rational multiples of $π$) unfolds to a translation surface ${X_T}$. The lattice triangle problem asks to classify those $T$ for which ${X_T}$ is a Veech (lattice) surface, which means that the $\operatorname{SL}_2(\mathbb R)$-orbit of ${X_T}$ is closed in its stratum (so its projection to moduli space is a Teichmüller curve). The most mysterious regime is the "hard obtuse window" (largest angle in $(π/2,2π/3]$), where it is conjectured that no lattice triangles exist. Using an arithmetic reformulation of the Mirzakhani-Wright rank obstruction, we prove a quantitative theorem that rules out all but a proportion $n^{-1+o(1)}$ of the triangles in this window with denominator $n$. The main technical result in our proof was autoformalized by AxiomProver in Lean (using mathlib).