Geometry of numbers and degree bounds for rational invariants

We investigate degree bounds for fields of rational invariants of representations of finite groups. We prove many cases of a bound for $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$ conjectured by Blum-Smith, Garcia, Hidalgo, and Rodriguez. For arbitrary groups, we also prove a new bound on the minimum degree $d$ such that the polynomials of degree $\leq d$ span the field of rational functions as a vector space over the invariant field. This latter quantity also bounds the degree $d$ such that the polynomials of degree $\leq d$ contain a copy of the regular representation of $G$, advancing an inquiry of Koll\'ar and Tiep. The methods involve Euclidean lattices and Minkowski's geometry of numbers.