Overpartition ranks and quantum modular forms (Q2153906)

The \(M_d\)-ranks, \(d \in \mathbb{N}\), are a family of statistics for overpartitions that include the well-known Dyson rank (\(d=1\)) and Lovejoy's \(M_2\)-rank [\textit{J. Lovejoy}, Ann. Comb. 12, No. 1, 101--113 (2008; Zbl 1147.11062)]. For any fixed \(d\), the generating function of overpartition \(M_d\)-ranks is a power series of two variables, and various specializations of one of the variables yield what are essentially the Fourier series expansions of mock theta functions of weight \(1/2\) [\textit{C. Jennings-Shaffer} and \textit{H. Swisher}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 466, No. 2, 1144--1189 (2018; Zbl 1423.11175)]. This means that the series can be completed to a function that transforms like a modular form by adding a non-holomorphic Eichler integral of a weight \(3/2\) modular form, called its shadow. In this paper, the authors use the mock modularity of the series \(\mathcal{O}_{a,b,c,d}^+(\tau)\) obtained by specializing the generating function of overpartition \(M_d\)-ranks to prove that they form an infinite family of quantum modular forms. In their case, this means that each series \(\mathcal{O}_d^+\) extends continuously to a subset \(Q_{a,b,c,d} \subseteq \mathbb{Q}\) that is dense in \(\mathbb{R}\) and preserved by a congruence subgroup \(G_{a,b,c,d} \le \mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{Z})\), and that the differences \[ H_{d, A}(x) := \mathcal{O}_{a,b,c,d}^+(x) - \chi_A^{-1} (\gamma x+ \delta)^{-1/2} \mathcal{O}_{a,b,c,d}^+(Ax), \] where \(x \in Q_{a,b,c,d}\) and \(A = \begin{pmatrix} \alpha & \beta \\ \gamma & \delta \end{pmatrix} \in G_{a,b,c,d}\), extend to analytic functions of \(x\) on \(\mathbb{R} \backslash \{-\delta / \gamma\}\). Here, \(\chi_A\) is a character evaluated at \(A\). The differences \(H_{d, A}\) are related to Eichler integrals of weight \(3/2\) theta functions. As an application, the authors express these Eichler integrals in terms of finite \(q\)-hypergeometric series.