The spectral decomposition of \(|\theta |^2\) (Q2043079)

The author determines a spectral decomposition and inner product formula for expressions \(\theta_1 \overline{\theta_2}\) where \(\theta_1, \theta_2\) are elementary theta functions. An important special case is the square modulus \(|\theta|^2\) for the Jacobi theta function \(\theta(\tau) = y^{1/2}\sum_{n\in\mathbb{Z}}e^{2\pi i n^2 \tau}\). As an application, the author finds strong estimates for inner products of the form \(\langle |\theta|^2, T_n \varphi \rangle\) for nice functions \(\varphi\) as well as a proof that \(|\theta|^2\) is orthogonal to all cusp forms. The main subtlety in the arguments is that the theta functions involved are not square-integrable. Through the theta correspondence, these results have applications to the author's work on the quantum variance problem and on the subconvexity problem for symmetric square \(L\)-functions [the author, Duke Math. J. 168, No. 9, 1665--1722 (2019; Zbl 1428.11093)]. A correction to the article affecting only the abstract has appeared [the author, Math. Z. 229, No. 1-2, 1197 (2021; Zbl 1484.11119)]. The published version of the article also introduces a number of errors to the list of references which are not present in the arXiv preprint; in particular, most citations are numbered incorrectly.