Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2009 / iii / Paper 13 / 1

Put $e_N(t)=e^{2\pi it/N}$ and use normalized averages ${\mathbb{E}}_x=N^{-1}{\sum }_{x\in \mathbb{Z}/N\mathbb{Z}}$. Our convention for Fourier coefficients on a finite abelian group isThe underlying orthogonality of complex exponentials is ${\mathbb{E}}_x{e}_N(rx)=1$ for $r=0$ and zero otherwise. For nonzero $r$ this is the finite geometric series with ratio $e_N(r)\ne 1$; its sum vanishes because that ratio has $N$th power one. The identical orthogonality statement holds when averaging over $r$ instead of $x$.

Using this orthogonality to sum the definition over $r$ proves Fourier inversion on a finite group:Indeed $\mathbb{E}f\overline{g}={\sum }_r\overline{\hat{g}(r)}{\mathbb{E}}_{x}f(x)e_N(-rx)={\sum }_r\hat{f}(r)\overline{\hat{g}(r)}$. This proves the Parseval identity on a finite group and its squared-norm case:For normalized convolution on a finite group, write $(f\ast g)(x)={\mathbb{E}}_{y}f(y)g(x-y)$. Changing variables $x=y+z$ in its transform givesthe convolution theorem on a finite group. Linearity of the transform follows directly from its definition. Translation ${\tau }_{t}f(x)=f(x+t)$ gives $\widehat{{\tau }_{t}f}(r)=e_N(rt)\hat{f}(r)$ by changing variables. Complex conjugation gives $\hat{\overline{f}}(r)=\overline{\hat{f}(-r)}$; for $\tilde{f}(x)=\overline{f(-x)}$, the corresponding identity is $\hat{\tilde{f}}(r)=\overline{\hat{f}(r)}$. Finally $\hat{f}(0)=\mathbb{E}f$ and $|\hat{f}(r)|\le \mathbb{E}|f|$ by the triangle inequality. These identities establish the basic normalized Fourier analysis on a finite abelian group needed below, with all normalizations fixed.

For completeness, pointwise multiplication has the dual convolution formula $\widehat{fg}(r)={\sum }_s\hat{f}(s)\hat{g}(r-s)$: insert the inversion formula for $g$ into the defining average and collect its frequencies. If $c\ne 0$ modulo $N$, the change of variables $u=cx$ gives $\widehat{f(c\cdot )}(r)=\hat{f}(r{c}^{-1})$. These also follow directly from the same additive character orthogonality.

Assume $A$ is nonempty, so $0<\alpha \le 1$, and put $a=1_A$. By the Parseval identity on a finite group, ${\sum }_r|\hat{a}(r){|}^2=\alpha$. Select the nonzero frequenciesThen $|R|{\alpha }^3/4\le \alpha$, giving $|R|\le 4{\alpha }^{-2}$. Outside $R\cup \{0\}$, the fourth Fourier moment has the boundThe fourfold normalized convolution on a finite group $H=a\ast a\ast 1_{-A}\ast 1_{-A}$ has transform $|\hat{a}(r){|}^4$, so Fourier inversion on a finite group gives $H(x)={\sum }_r|\hat{a}(r){|}^4{e}_N(rx)$. It is real and nonnegative, and $H(x)>0$ implies $x\in 2A-2A$ because the convolution counts representations, with a positive normalization.

Use the Bohr set in phase-distance conventionOn this set all retained additive characters have positive real part. The zero-frequency contribution is $\hat{a}(0{)}^4={\alpha }^4$, and the total absolute contribution of the discarded frequencies is at most ${\alpha }^4/4$. HenceThereforeThis is an explicit Bogolyubov lemma. In the chord-distance convention for a Bohr set, the phase-radius $1/10$ corresponds to chord radius $2\sin (\pi /10)>1/10$; alternatively the same positivity proof works directly at chord radius $1/10$. Thus the requested lower bound on width holds in either convention. If $R$ is empty, the Bohr set is the whole group. Nonemptiness of $A$ is necessary for the density statement.

Count a three-term arithmetic progression as an ordered triple $(x,x+d,x+2d)$, allowing $d=0$. Inserting Fourier inversion on a finite group into its normalized count and using additive character orthogonality in $x,d$ givesIndeed the two frequency constraints are $r+s+t=0$ and $s+2t=0$, so the surviving frequencies are $(r,s,t)=(t,-2t,t)$. The term at zero is ${\alpha }^3$.

For odd $N$, let $f=a-\alpha$ be the balanced indicator function of a finite subset, and put $M={\max }_{s\ne 0}|\hat{f}(s)|$. Its zero coefficient is zero, and its other coefficients equal those of $a$. Since $-2r\ne 0$ when $r\ne 0$, the Parseval identity on a finite group givesThe assumed deficit $T<{\alpha }^3/2$ therefore forcesThus $c=1/2$ and $C=2$ suffice. This is the large Fourier coefficient from a deficit of three-term progressions estimate; no generalized von Neumann theorem is needed. For the remaining prime $N=2$, the count is $T={\mathbb{E}}_{x,d}a(x)a(x+d)={\alpha }^2$, so the deficit hypothesis is impossible. The zero common difference was included throughout.