I was wondering how random unit lattices in number fields are. To make this more precise:

If $K$ is a number field with embeddings $\sigma_1, \dots, \sigma_n, \overline{\sigma_{r+1}}, \dots, \overline{\sigma_n} \to \mathbb{C}$ (so we have $r$ real embeddings and $2 (n - r)$ complex embeddings), let $\mathcal{O}_K$ be the ring of integers and $\Lambda_K := \{ (\log |\sigma_1(\varepsilon)|^{d_1}, \dots, \log |\sigma_n(\varepsilon)|^{d_n}) \mid \varepsilon \in \mathcal{O}_K^\ast \}$ be the unit lattice, where $d_i = 1$ if $\sigma_i(K) \subseteq \mathbb{R}$ and $d_i = 2$ otherwise.

Then $\Lambda_K$ is always contained in $H := \{ (x_1, \dots, x_n) \in \mathbb{R}^n \mid \sum_{i=1}^n x_i = 0 \}$, and $\det \Lambda_K$ is the regulator $R_K$ of $K$. Let us normalize $\Lambda_K$ by $\hat{\Lambda}_K := \frac{1}{\sqrt[n]{R_K}} \Lambda_K$; then $\det \hat{\Lambda}_K = 1$.

Now my question is: can we say something on how random the lattices $\hat{\Lambda}_K$ are among all lattices in $H$ of determinant 1? (For example, for fixed signature $(r, n-r)$ of $K$.)

Since these lattices are not completely random (they consist of vectors of logarithms of algebraic numbers), it is maybe better to ask something like this:

• Given $\varepsilon > 0$ and a lattice $\Lambda \subseteq H$ with determinant 1, does there exists a number field $K$ of signature $(r, n - r)$ such that there is a basis $(v_i)_i$ of $\hat{\Lambda}_K$ and a basis $(w_i)_i$ of $\Lambda$ such that $\|v_i - w_i\| < \varepsilon$ for all $i$?

• And if this exists, can one bound the discriminant of $K$ (or any other invariant of $K$) in terms of $\varepsilon$?

(Of course, this question is only interesting when $n > 2$.)

I assume that this is a very hard problem, so I'd be happy about any hint on whether something about this is known, whether someone is working on this, how one could proof such things, etc.