Higher depth mock theta functions and \(q\)-hypergeometric series (Q2121248)

Mock modular forms are defined as the holomorphic parts of harmonic weak Maass forms. The most prominent examples are Ramanujan's mock theta series, which were first related to harmonic weak Maass forms by Zwegers in his famous Ph.D. thesis. In this paper, the authors consider the generalization to higher depth mock modular forms. Roughly speaking, a mock modular form of depth \(d\) is the holomorphic part of a real-analytic modular form whose ``shadow'' is no longer a modular form (as in the case of mock modular forms), but a linear combination of modular forms and mock modular forms of depth \(d-1\). For example, mock modular forms of depth \(0\) are classical modular forms, while mock modular forms of depth \(1\) are the so-called mixed mock modular forms. The authors define a distinguished subspace of higher depth mock theta functions and ask whether there are arithmetically interesting \(q\)-hypergeometric series, analogous to Ramanujan's mock theta functions, that lie in this space. They find three such examples of mock theta functions of depth two. These examples are defined in terms of a three-variable universal mock theta function introduced by \textit{A. Folsom} [Arch. Math. 107, No. 5, 487--498 (2016; Zbl 1417.11062)] and have explicit representations as double-sum \(q\)-series.