Large sieve inequality with sparse sets of moduli applied to Goldbach conjecture (Q1692695)

The classical large sieve for Dirichlet characters is the inequality \[ \sum\limits_{q\le Q} \frac{q}{\varphi(q)} \sum\limits_{\substack{\chi \bmod{q}\\ q \ \text{\scriptsize primitive}}} \left| \sum\limits_{n=M}^{M+N} a_n\chi(n) \right|^2\le (Q^2+N) \sum\limits_{n=M}^{M+N} |a_n|^2. \] A natural question is whether this bound can be improved if the set of moduli is restricted to a subset \(S\) of all integers not exceeding \(Q\). A general result in this direction was established in [\textit{S. Baier}, J. Ramanujan Math. Soc. 21, No. 3, 279--295 (2006; Zbl 1152.11041)] for sets \(S\) that are in a sense well-distributed in arithmetic progressions. In the paper under review, this result is applied to prove a new mean value estimate for exponential sums over primes in arithmetic progressions. Here the relevant sets for which well-distribution in arithmetic progressions is established are of the following form: \begin{align*} W_G=\{q\in \mathbb{N} \ \ : & \text{there exists a prime } p \text{ such that } \\ & \sqrt{q}\ll p(\log p)^G \text{ and } p^2|q\}, \end{align*} where \(G\) is a positive integer. The said mean value estimate is then used to establish the following result on the exceptional set for the binary Goldbach problem with primes restricted to arithmetic progressions. Theorem: Set \(T=X^{7/30-\varepsilon}\). For any \(D>0\), all but \(\ll T(\log X)^{-D}\) prime numbers \(k\le T\), and every pair of integers \((b_1,b_2)\) with \(\gcd(k,b_1b_2)=1\), we have \begin{align*} & \sharp\{n\le X\ :\ 2|n, \ n\equiv b_1+b_2\bmod{k}, \ n\not= p_1+p_2 \text{ for all primes } p_i \text{ with}\\ & p_i\equiv b_i \bmod{k}, \ i=1,2\} \ll X(\log X)^{-A}k^{-1}. \end{align*} This improves an earlier result of the author [Far East J. Math. Sci. (FJMS) 70, No. 1, 87--120 (2012; Zbl 1348.11076)] with the exponent \(5/48\) in place of \(7/30\).