Restriction theory of the Selberg sieve, with applications (Q2433584)

This paper uses \(L^p\) norm upper bound estimates for exponential sums over certain classes of primes together with a transference principle to obtain results on primes in 3-term arithmetic progressions. One application is to Chen primes, which are primes \(p\) for which \(p+2\) is either a prime or a product of two primes. By Chen's theorem there are infinitely many Chen primes, and here the authors prove by their method that there are infinitely many 3-term arithmetic progressions of Chen primes. Let \(h(\theta)= \sum_{n\leq N;n\in X(F)} e(n\theta)\), where \(e(u)=e^{2\pi i u}\), and \(X(F)\) is the set of positive integers for which the polynomial \(F=\prod_{j=1}^k(a_jn+b_j)\) is the product of \(k\) primes. \(X\) thus consists of the integers \(n\) where one has simultaneous prime values for these linear factors. Subject to a compatibility condition on \(F\), the Hardy-Littlewood \(k\)-tuple conjecture asserts that \(h(0) = | X(F) \bigcap [1,N] | = (1+o_F(1))\mathfrak S_FN(\log N)^{-k}\), where \(\mathfrak S_F\) is a positive arithmetic constant called the singular series. If \(k\geq 2\) very little is known unconditionally on lower bounds on \(X(F)\), but by sieve methods one can obtain upper bounds which are of the same order of magnitude as in the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture above. Letting \(\| f\| _p =( \int_0^1| f(\theta)| ^p \, d\theta)^{1/p}\) be the usual \(L^p\) norm on \([0,1]\), we see that an upper bound for the \(L^2\) norm of \(h(\theta)\) is by Parseval's equation equivalent to this sieve upper bound. The authors prove that, subject to some natural conditions on \(F\), one can obtain the \(L^p\) estimate \[ \| h\| _p \ll_{p,k}\mathfrak S_F N^{1-1/p}(\log N)^{-k} \quad\text{for}\quad 2<p<\infty, \] which assuming the conjectured asymptotic formula is sharp except at the endpoint \(p=2\). The proof of this result is possible because while one has no control of \(X(F)\), one can majorize by looking at the larger set of almost primes and employ an enveloping sieve. The sieve employed is a form of the Selberg sieve, and also closely related to the approximations that arise in the circle method. The Fourier properties are important in \(L^p\) estimates, since in general in the range \(2<p<4\) there is a ``restriction phenomena'' obstruction that requires additional information to overcome. The paper includes an interesting appendix where various types of enveloping sieves are discussed and questions raised.