Hitchin representations and higher rank lattices

Let S be a closed orientable surface of genus at least 2. The Hitchin component is a special connected component of the space of representations of the fundamental group of S in SL(n,R). All the representations in it are faithful and have discrete image. Motivated by the study of higher rank lattices, the goal of this talk is to construct Hitchin representations whose image is contained in a lattice of SL(n,R). This gives new examples of Zariski-dense subgroups in arithmetic groups (these are "thin" subgroups). I will start by presenting the Hitchin component and motivating the problem. I will then explain the construction that relies on arithmetic considerations.