The distribution of spacings between small powers of a primitive root (Q5932019)

Consider the fractional parts \(\{g^n /p\}\) for \(1 \leq n \leq N\), where \(g\) is a specified primitive root modulo the prime \(p\). The authors study the spacings between consecutive members of the sequence as \(p \to \infty\) and \(N\) grows with \(p\), subject to \(N \ll p^{1-\varepsilon}\) (the question becoming trivial when \(N \geq p-1\)). Denote \(x_n=N\{g^n /p\}\), to obtain an ``unfolded'' sequence \({\mathcal N}_{\text{unf}}\) having mean spacing \(1\). For distinct \(y^{(i)} \in {\mathcal N}_{\text{unf}}\) set \(\Delta(y)= \{y^{(i)}-y^{(i+1)}: 1 \leq i <m\} \in {\mathbb R}^{m-1}\). For a compact region \(I_0\) in \({\mathbb R}^{m-1}\) set \[ R_m(I_0,N)= N^{-1}\#\{y \in {\mathcal N}_{\text{unf}} : \Delta(y) \in I_0\}. \] The authors show that \(R_m(I_0,N) \to \operatorname{Vol}(I_0)\) as \(p \to \infty\) provided \(N \gg p^{1-1/2m+\varepsilon}\). Let \(\nu(N,a)\) denote the number of solutions in distinct numbers \(n_i \in [1,N]\) of the system of congruences \(g^{n_i}-g^{n_{i+1}} \equiv a_i\bmod p_i\) for \(1 \leq i \leq m-1\). When the partial sums \(\smash{\sum_{k=j}^{m-1}}a_k\) are nonzero and distinct mod \(p\) they establish the formula \[ \nu(N,a) = N^m /p^{m-1} +O\bigl( p^{1/2}\log^m p\bigr), \] which they use in the proof of their theorem. Analogous results for the sequence \(n^2 \bmod q\) were derived in the paper [Invent. Math. 145, 37--57 (2001; Zbl 1006.11041)] by the authors and \textit{P. Sarnak}. In the current instance, however, better results can be obtained for the case \(m=2\); by a process involving averaging over \(a\) their result is shown to hold when \(p^{5/7+\varepsilon} \ll N \ll p^{1-\varepsilon}\), in which the exponent \(5\over 7\) can be improved to \(2\over 3\) on the basis of the Generalised Riemann Hypothesis.