Effective equidistribution of polynomial trajectories in $\operatorname{SL}_3(\mathbb R)/\operatorname{SL}_3(\mathbb Z)$

Abstract

For a fixed matrix-polynomial trajectory in $\operatorname{SL}_3(\mathbb R)/\operatorname{SL}_3(\mathbb Z)$, we give a necessary and sufficient intrinsic Diophantine condition for its time averages to equidistribute at a power rate on its homogeneous orbit closure. The condition uses a lattice in the space of polynomial functions on the normalized orbit-closure group, each admitting a representative of total degree at most two in the matrix entries. These polynomial tests have a common degree bound of two, independent of the curve degree and optimal in general. The proof begins with a classification of the possible orbit-closure groups and derives lower bounds for polynomial coefficient vectors from the intrinsic condition. It combines quantitative nilmanifold equidistribution, unipotent tangent approximation, and effective flow estimates, with arithmetic separation and quantitative nondivergence controlling cusp excursions and periodic-orbit obstructions.