Write . A sequence in the circle group is an equidistributed sequence if, for every interval ,
where is its normalized length. Equivalently, averages of every continuous function along the sequence tend to its circle integral. Trigonometric polynomials approximate continuous functions, and interval indicators can be squeezed between continuous functions with arbitrarily close integrals. The nonconstant additive characters have integral zero. These facts give the Weyl criterion:
This is the link between equidistribution and cancellation in exponential sums.
Suppose every positive-shift difference sequence were equidistributed. Fix and set . For every fixed , the Weyl criterion would give
The omitted final terms change a normalized average by at most .
Here is the needed Van der Corput inequality for finite scalar sequences. Extend by zero outside and average consecutive translates of the sum. Cauchy-Schwarz gives
Indeed, apply Cauchy-Schwarz to and expand the squared inner sum. Taking first leaves a bound ; then let . Every nonzero Fourier average of vanishes, so the Weyl criterion makes equidistributed. This is the differencing obstruction to equidistribution. By contraposition, a non-equidistributed sequence has a non-equidistributed difference for some positive , hence for some as requested.
For , the difference is . For any nonzero integer , its exponential sum is a constant phase times a geometric progression with ratio . Its normalized magnitude is at most , which tends to zero. Thus every positive-shift difference is equidistributed, and the contraposition just established proves