Difference sets and positive exponential sums. I: General properties (Q485211)

Let \(A\subset G\) be a subset of a finite abelian group \(G\) with \(A=-A\) and \(0\in A\). The authors define some quantities related to the difference-intersectivity of \(A\), such as \(\Delta(A)=\max\{|B| \mid B\subset G, (B-B)\cap A=\{0\}\}\) and \(\delta(A)=\Delta(A)/|G|\). They also define quantities in relation with positive exponential sums, such as \[ \lambda(A)=\min \left\{\frac{f(0)}{\widehat{f}(1)}\mid f: G\rightarrow \mathbb R, f\not\equiv 0, \mathrm{ supp}(f)\subset A, \widehat{f}(\gamma)\geq 0 \text{ for all } \gamma\in \widehat{G} \right\}, \] where \(\widehat{f}\) is the Fourier transform of the function \(f\). This paper makes a systematic study of general connections between intersective properties of sets and positive exponential sums using frequencies from the given set. They consider how those quantities behave under automorphisms, unions, intersections, passage to subgroups, factor groups and direct products. In the last two parts, they consider those quantities for random sets and balls in dyadic groups. The methods are mainly from harmonic analysis and the finite-dimensional Hahn-Banach theorem. For Part II, see [the authors, Proc. Steklov Inst. Math. 314, 138-143 (2021; Zbl 1489.11035); translation from Tr. Mat. Inst. Steklova 314, 145-151 (2021)].