On the local Fourier uniformity problem for small sets
A \(t\)-step nilmanifold is a quotient space \(G/\Gamma\), where \(G\) is a \(t\)-step nilpotent Lie group and \(\Gamma\) is a discrete cocompact subgroup of \(G\). The Cesàro and logarithmic averages of the arithmetic function \(f\colon \mathbb{N}\to\mathbb{C}\) defined, respectively, by\N\[\N\mathbb{E}_{m\leq M}f(m)=\frac{1}{M}\sum_{m\leq M}f(m) \quad\text{and}\quad \mathbb{E}^{\mathrm log}_{m\leq M}f(m)=\frac{1}{\log M}\sum_{m\leq M}\frac{f(m)}{m}.\N\]\NThe local \(t\)-Fourier uniformity conjecture of Tao [\textit{T. Tao}, in: Number theory -- Diophantine problems, uniform distribution and applications. Cham: Springer. 391--421 (2017; Zbl 1426.11111)] concerning the Liouville function \(\lambda(n)\), states that letting \(t\in \mathbb{N}\), for each \(t\)-step nilmanifold \(G/\Gamma\) and any \(f\in C(G/\Gamma)\), we have\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{M\to \infty}\mathbb{E}_{m\leq M}\sup_{g\in G}\Big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)f(g^h\Gamma)\Big|=0.\N\]\NFor the logarithmic averages, the above conjecture reads as\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{M\to \infty}\mathbb{E}^{\mathrm log}_{m\leq M}\sup_{g\in G}\Big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)f(g^h\Gamma)\Big|=0.\N\]\NThe local \(t\)-Fourier uniformity problem is still open, and even the case \(t=1\) seems to be out of reach using present techniques. By Fourier expansion, the local \(1\)-Fourier uniformity problem is equivalent to\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{M\to \infty}\mathbb{E}_{m\leq M}\sup_{\alpha\in \mathbb{T}}\big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)e(h\alpha)\big|=0,\N\]\Nwhere \(e(t)=e^{2\pi it}\) for \(t\in\mathbb{R}\). \textit{R. McNamara} [Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 41, No. 10, 3060--3115 (2021; Zbl 1480.37014)] showed that for all sets \(C\subset\mathbb{T}\) of box-counting dimension \(<1\), we have\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{M\to \infty}\mathbb{E}^{\mathrm log}_{m\leq M}\sup_{\alpha\in C}\big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)e(h\alpha)\big|=0.\N\]\NIn the paper under review, the authors prove several related results. First they show that for each closed \(C\subset\mathbb{T}\) with \({\mathrm Leb}(C)=0\) (zero Lebesgue measure), the above mentioned logarithmic local 1-Fourier uniformity of McNamara holds. Showing that the restriction to sets of measure zero in this result is crucial, they prove that if there exists a set \(C\subset \mathbb{T}\) with non-empty interior such that the McNamara logarithmic local \(1\)-Fourier uniformity holds for \(C\), then the same holds for \(C=\mathbb{T}\). The authors prove that there exists a set \(\mathcal{M}\subset \mathbb{N}\) of logarithmic density \(1\) such that letting \(C\subset\mathbb{T}\) to be any closed set with \({\mathrm Leb}(C)=0\), then one has\N\[\N\lim_{H\to \infty}\limsup_{\substack{M\in \mathcal{M}\\\NM\to \infty}}\mathbb{E}_{m\leq M}\sup_{\alpha\in C}\Big|\mathbb{E}_{m\leq h< m+H}\lambda(h)e(h\alpha)\Big|=0.\N\]\NThe authors also consider the case \(t\geq 2\) of Tao's conjecture with the supremum over \(g\) being taken over a sparse set. Letting \(t\geq 2\), they show that there exists a set \(\mathcal{M}\subset \mathbb{N}\) of logarithmic density \(1\) such that for any closed \(C\subset \mathbb{T}\) of upper box-counting dimension \(<1/t\), we have\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{\substack{M\in \mathcal{M}\\\NM\to \infty}}\mathbb{E}_{m\leq M}\sup_{\alpha\in C}\big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)e(\alpha h^t)\big|=0.\N\]\NFurthermore, for the case of general nilpotent Lie groups \(G\), letting \(t\in \mathbb{N}\) and \(G/\Gamma\) to be a \(t\)-step nilmanifold and letting \(f\in C(G/\Gamma)\), they show that for each countable compact subset \(C\subset G\) for which for all \(g\in C\) the nil-rotation \(g'\Gamma\mapsto gg'\Gamma\) is ergodic, one has\N\[\N\lim_{H\to\infty}\limsup_{M\to \infty}\mathbb{E}^{\mathrm log}_{m\leq M}\sup_{g\in C,g'\in G}\Big|\mathbb{E}_{h\leq H}\lambda(m+h)f(g^{m+h}g'\Gamma)\Big|=0.\N\]
- Fourier uniformity of bounded multiplicative functions in short intervals on average
- Higher uniformity of bounded multiplicative functions in short intervals on average
- An averaged form of Chowla's conjecture
- Generalized Fourier coefficients of multiplicative functions
- A uniform set with fewer than expected arithmetic progressions of length 4
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