On the \(q\)-analogue of the pair correlation conjecture (Q1924256)

Assuming the generalized Riemann hypothesis, this paper investigates the pair correlation of zeros of Dirichlet \(L\)-functions \(L(s,\chi)\), averaged over all characters \(\chi\) of modulus \(q\leq Q\). The paper restricts attention to zeros \({1\over 2}+i\gamma\) of height \(O(1)\), by using a suitable fixed kernel function \(K(t)\), and considering \[ F_K(\alpha,Q)= {1\over{N_K(Q)}} \sum_{q\leq Q}{1\over{\phi(q)}} \sum_{\chi\pmod q} \sum_{\gamma,\gamma'} K(\gamma) K(\gamma') Q^{i\alpha(\gamma-\gamma')} \] where \(N_K(Q)= {{Q\log Q}\over{2\pi}} \int^\infty_{-\infty} K(t)^2 dt\). Thus \(N_K(Q)\) counts the relevant zeros, in the sense that \[ \sum_{q\leq Q}{1\over{\phi(q)}} \sum_{\chi\pmod q}\sum_\gamma K(\gamma)^2\sim N_K(Q). \] The principal result shows that \[ F_K(\alpha,Q)= \delta_Q(\alpha) \Biggl\{1+O\biggl( {1\over{\log Q}}\biggr)\Biggr\}+ |\alpha|+O\biggl( {1\over{\log Q}}\biggr) \qquad\text{for }|\alpha|\leq 1, \] and \[ F_K(\alpha,Q)= 1+O\biggl( {1\over{\log Q}}\biggr) \qquad\text{for }1\leq|\alpha|\leq 2-O\biggl( {{\log\log Q}\over{\log Q}}\biggr). \] Here \(\delta_Q(\alpha)\) is an explicitly given `delta function'. The significance of the result lies in the fact that, for the range \(1\leq|\alpha|<2\), it gives the analogue of the conjectured behaviour of the pair correlation function for zeros of \(\zeta(s)\). A corollary of the main result is that at least \({11\over 12}+o(1)\) of the zeros, appropriately weighted, are simple. The proof follows in part the method of \textit{H. L. Montgomery} [Analytic number theory, Proc. Symp. Pure Math. 24, 181-193 (1973; Zbl 0268.10023)]. However the bulk of the argument is taken up with an application of the circle method, which allows one to handle `off-diagonal' terms which appear in Montgomery's method.