Bounds for twisted symmetric square \(L\)-functions. III (Q1941143)

The main result of this paper is a subconvex for \[ L(1/2, \text{sym}^2 f \otimes \chi) \] where \(f \in S_k(1)\) is a fixed holomorphic cusp form of weight \(k\) and level one, and \(\chi\) is a Dirichlet character of conductor \(q^{\ell}\) where \(q\) is a fixed prime. The subconvex result is established in the ``depth aspect'', that is, for \(\ell \rightarrow \infty\), while \(f\) and \(q\) are kept fixed. It is therefore in a sense the \(q\)-adic analogue of \textit{X.\ Li}'s ``archimedean'' subconvex result for symmetric square \(L\)-functions [Ann. Math. (2) 173, No. 1, 301--336 (2011; Zbl 1320.11046)]. The proof starts by embedding \(f\) into a family of cusp forms of level \(q^r\) where \(r \approx 4 \ell /3\), and the author is able to prove a second moment bound of Lindelöf type for this family. The subconvex bound then follows by dropping all but one term. In order to prove the mean value result, the author starts with Petersson's formula and uses the fact that the Kloosterman sum \(S(m^2, n^2, q^j)\) can be evaluated explicitly in elementary terms. He then applies a sequence of Poisson summation steps and reciprocity steps, and he ends his argument with an application of \textit{D. R. Heath-Brown}'s large sieve [Acta Arith. 72, No. 3, 235--275 (1995; Zbl 0828.11040)] for quadratic characters.