Modular forms of virtually real-arithmetic type I: mixed mock modular forms yield vector-valued modular forms (Q2028614)

This paper represents a bold new foray into a new unifying principle for studying modular objects. Specifically, they consider a new type of vector-valued modular form they call ``virtually real-arithmetic type.'' These go beyond classical constructions as they are generically not completely reducible. However, these weaker demands allow them to incorporate mixed mock modular forms, higher order modular forms, and iterated Eichler-Shimura integrals, three well-studied generalized types of modular objects, into a single framework. This paper describes the general new theory, as well as important applications, of this new notion. For instance, they use this framework to prove that the Fourier coefficients and Taylor expansions of the ``exotic'' types of modular forms mentioned above satisfy recursions with coefficients in finite-dimensional rational vector spaces. This is a fascinating new exploration into a topic with a huge number of potential applications. As the authors demonstrate, there are many tools available in this new framework which may shed light on fundamental questions in, for example, the theory of mock modular and harmonic Maass forms. The significance of this achievement is underscored by the fact that it is not only a powerful abstract tool, but can be made explicit and provides a useful method for computation. These computational methods are the subject of a subsequent paper in this two paper series.