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The Szemerédi theorem says that for every integer $k\ge 2$ and every $\delta >0$, there is $N_0(k,\delta )$ such that, for $N\ge N_0$, every $A\subseteq \{1,\dots ,N\}$ with $|A|\ge \delta N$ contains a nonconstant arithmetic progressionEquivalently, every subset of the positive integers with positive upper asymptotic density contains arithmetic progressions of every finite length. Length one is immediate.

The Furstenberg multiple recurrence theorem states that for every probability measure-preserving system, every measurable $B$ with $\mu (B)>0$, and every integer $k\ge 2$, there is $n\ge 1$ withHere $T^{-jn}B$ means a preimage, so invertibility is unnecessary. The Furstenberg multiple recurrence theorem also does not assume an ergodic transformation.

We prove the implication to the finite Szemerédi theorem by constructing the Furstenberg correspondence principle explicitly. Suppose, to the contrary, that for fixed $k$ and $\delta >0$ there are $N_{\ell }\to \infty$ and $A_{\ell }\subseteq \{1,\dots ,N_{\ell }\}$ with $|A_{\ell }|\ge \delta N_{\ell }$, but with no length-$k$ arithmetic progression of positive common difference. In the binary full shift $\Omega =\{0,1{\}}^{\mathbb{Z}}$, encode $A_{\ell }$ as $x_j^{(\ell )}=1_{A_{\ell }}(j)$, taking all coordinates outside $A_{\ell }$ to be zero. Let $S$ be the left shift, $(S\omega {)}_j={\omega }_{j+1}$, and setThe cylinder set $C$ is a clopen set, and ${\nu }_{\ell }(C)=|A_{\ell }|/N_{\ell }\ge \delta$. The binary full shift is a compact metric space, so compactness of probability measures on a compact metric space gives a subsequence of these empirical measures with weak convergence of probability measures to a Borel probability measure $\nu$.

For every continuous $h$ on the full shift,Passing to the weak limit shows that $\nu$ is an invariant measure for the continuous left shift. Thus $(\Omega ,\mathcal{B},\nu ,S)$ is a probability measure-preserving system. Since the indicator function of $C$ is continuous, $\nu (C)\ge \delta$.

Apply the Furstenberg multiple recurrence theorem to $C$. For some $n\ge 1$, the clopen sethas $\nu (D)>0$. Its continuous indicator function gives ${\nu }_{\ell }(D)\to \nu (D)>0$. For large $\ell$, at least one $S^a{x}^{(\ell )}$ in the defining empirical measure therefore belongs to $D$. The choice of left shift impliesso $a,a+n,\dots ,a+(k-1)n$ lies in $A_{\ell }$. This contradicts the assumed absence of arithmetic progressions and proves the finite Szemerédi theorem. Applying the finite Szemerédi theorem on intervals where an infinite set has density bounded below proves the stated upper asymptotic density formulation.

For multiple recurrence for circle rotations, write $\mathbb{T}=\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$ and $R_{\alpha }x=x+\alpha$, with normalized Lebesgue measure $m$, which is the Haar measure of the circle group. Fix a measurable $B\subseteq \mathbb{T}$ with $m(B)>0$ and $k\ge 2$. If $\alpha$ is rational, there is $q\ge 1$ with $R_{\alpha }^q$ the identity, and $n=q$ gives an intersection of measure $m(B)$.

For irrational $\alpha$, the pigeonhole principle applied to $0,\alpha ,\dots ,Q\alpha$ in $Q$ equal arcs gives $1\le n\le Q$ with $\Vert n\alpha {\Vert }_{\mathbb{T}}\le 1/Q$. In particular there are arbitrarily small nonzero returns to zero for the irrational rotation of the circle.

We also need translation continuity in L1 on the circle. Given a measurable $B$, approximate its indicator function in the L1 norm by a continuous $g$ on the circle group. Such approximation follows from regularity of Lebesgue measure, or approximation by finite unions of intervals. Translation invariance and uniform continuity givewhere the approximation error is first made arbitrarily small. Equivalently, $m(B△(B-t))\to 0$.

Choose a return time $n\ge 1$ so small modulo one that for each $1\le j<k$,This is possible because multiplication by each fixed $j$ is continuous on the circle group and translation continuity in L1 on the circle applies to the finitely many translates. The union bound now givesThis proves the Furstenberg multiple recurrence theorem for every circle rotation with its normalized Lebesgue measure, including both rational and irrational angles.