# American Institute of Mathematical Sciences

2011, 18: 69-90. doi: 10.3934/era.2011.18.69

## An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^{s+1}[N]$-norm

 1 Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA 2 Department of Mathematics, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095 3 Department of Mathematics, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel

Received  March 2011 Revised  May 2011 Published  July 2011

This is an announcement of the proof of the inverse conjecture for the Gowers $U^{s+1}[N]$-norm for all $s \geq 3$; this is new for $s \geq 4$, the cases $s = 1,2,3$ having been previously established. More precisely we outline a proof that if $f : [N] \rightarrow [-1,1]$ is a function with ||$f$|| $U^{s+1}[N] \geq \delta$ then there is a bounded-complexity $s$-step nilsequence $F(g(n)\Gamma)$ which correlates with $f$, where the bounds on the complexity and correlation depend only on $s$ and $\delta$. From previous results, this conjecture implies the Hardy-Littlewood prime tuples conjecture for any linear system of finite complexity. In particular, one obtains an asymptotic formula for the number of $k$-term arithmetic progressions $p_1 < p_2 < ... < p_k \leq N$ of primes, for every $k \geq 3$.
Citation: Ben Green, Terence Tao, Tamar Ziegler. An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^{s+1}[N]$-norm. Electronic Research Announcements, 2011, 18: 69-90. doi: 10.3934/era.2011.18.69
##### References:
 [1] N. Alon, T. Kaufman, M. Krivelevich, S. Litsyn and D. Ron, Testing low-degree polynomials over GF(2),, Approximation, 51 (2005), 188.  doi: 10.1109/TIT.2005.856958.  Google Scholar [2] A. Balog and E. Szemerédi, A statistical theorem of set addition,, Combinatorica, 14 (1994), 263.  doi: 10.1007/BF01212974.  Google Scholar [3] V. Bergelson, B. Host and B. Kra, Multiple recurrence and nilsequences,, (with an appendix by I. Ruzsa), 160 (2005), 261.  doi: 10.1007/s00222-004-0428-6.  Google Scholar [4] V. Bergelson, T. Tao and T. Ziegler, An inverse theorem for uniformity seminorms associated with the action of $F_p^{\infty}$,, Geom. Funct. Anal., 19 (2010), 1539.  doi: 10.1007/s00039-010-0051-1.  Google Scholar [5] J.-P. Conze and E. Lesigne, Sur un théorème ergodique pour des mesures diagonales,, (French) [On an ergodic theorem for diagonal measures], 306 (1988), 491.   Google Scholar [6] N. Frantzikinakis, B. Host and B. Kra, Multiple recurrence and convergence for sequences related to the prime numbers,, J. Reine Angew. Math., 611 (2007), 131.  doi: 10.1515/CRELLE.2007.076.  Google Scholar [7] G. A. Freĭman, "Foundations of a Structural Theory of Set Addition,", Translations of Mathematical Monographs, 37 (1973).   Google Scholar [8] H. Furstenberg, "Nonconventional Ergodic Averages,", The legacy of John von Neumann (Hempstead, 50 (1988), 43.   Google Scholar [9] H. Furstenberg and B. Weiss, "A mean ergodic theorem for $1/N\sum^N_{n=1}f (T^n x)g(T^ {n^ 2}x)$,", Convergence in ergodic theory and probability (Columbus, 5 (1993), 193.   Google Scholar [10] W. T. Gowers, A new proof of Szemerédi's theorem for progressions of length four,, GAFA, 8 (1998), 529.  doi: 10.1007/s000390050065.  Google Scholar [11] -, A new proof of Szemerédi's theorem,, GAFA, 11 (2001), 465.   Google Scholar [12] B. Green, "Generalising the Hardy-Littlewood Method for Primes,", International Congress of Mathematicians. Vol. II, (2006), 373.   Google Scholar [13] B. Green and T. Tao, The primes contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions,, Annals of Math. (2), 167 (2008), 481.  doi: 10.4007/annals.2008.167.481.  Google Scholar [14] -, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^3$-norm, with applications,, Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc., 51 (): 71.   Google Scholar [15] -, Linear equations in primes,, Ann. Math. (2), 171 (2010), 1753.   Google Scholar [16] -, The quantitative behaviour of polynomial orbits on nilmanifolds,, to appear in Ann. Math., ().   Google Scholar [17] -, The Möbius function is strongly orthogonal to nilsequences,, to appear in Ann. Math., ().   Google Scholar [18] -, An arithmetic regularity lemma, associated counting lemma, and applications,, in, 21 (): 261.   Google Scholar [19] B. Green, T. Tao and T. Ziegler, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^4[N]$-norm,, Glasgow Math. J., 53 (2011), 1.  doi: 10.1017/S0017089510000546.  Google Scholar [20] -, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^{s+1}[N]$ norm,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [21] I. J. Håland, Uniform distribution of generalized polynomials,, J. Number Theory, 45 (1993), 327.  doi: 10.1006/jnth.1993.1082.  Google Scholar [22] B. Host and B. Kra, Convergence of Conze-Lesigne averages,, Erg. Th. Dyn. Sys., 21 (2001), 493.   Google Scholar [23] -, Averaging along cubes,, Modern Dynamical Systems and Applications, (2004), 123.   Google Scholar [24] -, Nonconventional ergodic averages and nilmanifolds,, Ann. of Math. (2), 161 (2005), 397.   Google Scholar [25] -, Uniformity seminorms on $l^\infty$ and applications,, J. Anal. Math., 108 (2009), 219.  doi: 10.1007/s11854-009-0024-1.  Google Scholar [26] A. Leibman, Pointwise convergence of ergodic averages of polynomial sequences of translations on a nilmanifold,, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems, 25 (2005), 201.  doi: 10.1017/S0143385704000215.  Google Scholar [27] -, A canonical form and the distribution of values of generalized polynomials,, to appear in Israel Journal of Mathematics., ().   Google Scholar [28] E. Lesigne, Équations fonctionnelles, couplages de produits gauches et théorèmes ergodiques pour mesures diagonales,, (French) [Functional equations, 121 (1993), 315.   Google Scholar [29] I. Z. Ruzsa, Generalized arithmetical progressions and sumsets,, Acta Math. Hungar., 65 (1994), 379.  doi: 10.1007/BF01876039.  Google Scholar [30] A. Samorodnitsky, "Low-Degree Tests at Large Distances,", STOC'07, (2007), 506.   Google Scholar [31] B. Szegedy, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory I,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [32] -, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory II,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [33] -, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory III,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [34] T. Tao and T. Ziegler, The inverse conjecture for the Gowers norms over finite fields via the correspondence principle,, Anal. PDE, 3 (2010), 1.  doi: 10.2140/apde.2010.3.1.  Google Scholar [35] T. Tao and V. Vu, "Additive Combinatorics,", Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, 105 (2006).   Google Scholar [36] T. Ziegler, Universal characteristic factors and Furstenberg averages,, J. Amer. Math. Soc., 20 (2007), 53.  doi: 10.1090/S0894-0347-06-00532-7.  Google Scholar

show all references

##### References:
 [1] N. Alon, T. Kaufman, M. Krivelevich, S. Litsyn and D. Ron, Testing low-degree polynomials over GF(2),, Approximation, 51 (2005), 188.  doi: 10.1109/TIT.2005.856958.  Google Scholar [2] A. Balog and E. Szemerédi, A statistical theorem of set addition,, Combinatorica, 14 (1994), 263.  doi: 10.1007/BF01212974.  Google Scholar [3] V. Bergelson, B. Host and B. Kra, Multiple recurrence and nilsequences,, (with an appendix by I. Ruzsa), 160 (2005), 261.  doi: 10.1007/s00222-004-0428-6.  Google Scholar [4] V. Bergelson, T. Tao and T. Ziegler, An inverse theorem for uniformity seminorms associated with the action of $F_p^{\infty}$,, Geom. Funct. Anal., 19 (2010), 1539.  doi: 10.1007/s00039-010-0051-1.  Google Scholar [5] J.-P. Conze and E. Lesigne, Sur un théorème ergodique pour des mesures diagonales,, (French) [On an ergodic theorem for diagonal measures], 306 (1988), 491.   Google Scholar [6] N. Frantzikinakis, B. Host and B. Kra, Multiple recurrence and convergence for sequences related to the prime numbers,, J. Reine Angew. Math., 611 (2007), 131.  doi: 10.1515/CRELLE.2007.076.  Google Scholar [7] G. A. Freĭman, "Foundations of a Structural Theory of Set Addition,", Translations of Mathematical Monographs, 37 (1973).   Google Scholar [8] H. Furstenberg, "Nonconventional Ergodic Averages,", The legacy of John von Neumann (Hempstead, 50 (1988), 43.   Google Scholar [9] H. Furstenberg and B. Weiss, "A mean ergodic theorem for $1/N\sum^N_{n=1}f (T^n x)g(T^ {n^ 2}x)$,", Convergence in ergodic theory and probability (Columbus, 5 (1993), 193.   Google Scholar [10] W. T. Gowers, A new proof of Szemerédi's theorem for progressions of length four,, GAFA, 8 (1998), 529.  doi: 10.1007/s000390050065.  Google Scholar [11] -, A new proof of Szemerédi's theorem,, GAFA, 11 (2001), 465.   Google Scholar [12] B. Green, "Generalising the Hardy-Littlewood Method for Primes,", International Congress of Mathematicians. Vol. II, (2006), 373.   Google Scholar [13] B. Green and T. Tao, The primes contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions,, Annals of Math. (2), 167 (2008), 481.  doi: 10.4007/annals.2008.167.481.  Google Scholar [14] -, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^3$-norm, with applications,, Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc., 51 (): 71.   Google Scholar [15] -, Linear equations in primes,, Ann. Math. (2), 171 (2010), 1753.   Google Scholar [16] -, The quantitative behaviour of polynomial orbits on nilmanifolds,, to appear in Ann. Math., ().   Google Scholar [17] -, The Möbius function is strongly orthogonal to nilsequences,, to appear in Ann. Math., ().   Google Scholar [18] -, An arithmetic regularity lemma, associated counting lemma, and applications,, in, 21 (): 261.   Google Scholar [19] B. Green, T. Tao and T. Ziegler, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^4[N]$-norm,, Glasgow Math. J., 53 (2011), 1.  doi: 10.1017/S0017089510000546.  Google Scholar [20] -, An inverse theorem for the Gowers $U^{s+1}[N]$ norm,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [21] I. J. Håland, Uniform distribution of generalized polynomials,, J. Number Theory, 45 (1993), 327.  doi: 10.1006/jnth.1993.1082.  Google Scholar [22] B. Host and B. Kra, Convergence of Conze-Lesigne averages,, Erg. Th. Dyn. Sys., 21 (2001), 493.   Google Scholar [23] -, Averaging along cubes,, Modern Dynamical Systems and Applications, (2004), 123.   Google Scholar [24] -, Nonconventional ergodic averages and nilmanifolds,, Ann. of Math. (2), 161 (2005), 397.   Google Scholar [25] -, Uniformity seminorms on $l^\infty$ and applications,, J. Anal. Math., 108 (2009), 219.  doi: 10.1007/s11854-009-0024-1.  Google Scholar [26] A. Leibman, Pointwise convergence of ergodic averages of polynomial sequences of translations on a nilmanifold,, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems, 25 (2005), 201.  doi: 10.1017/S0143385704000215.  Google Scholar [27] -, A canonical form and the distribution of values of generalized polynomials,, to appear in Israel Journal of Mathematics., ().   Google Scholar [28] E. Lesigne, Équations fonctionnelles, couplages de produits gauches et théorèmes ergodiques pour mesures diagonales,, (French) [Functional equations, 121 (1993), 315.   Google Scholar [29] I. Z. Ruzsa, Generalized arithmetical progressions and sumsets,, Acta Math. Hungar., 65 (1994), 379.  doi: 10.1007/BF01876039.  Google Scholar [30] A. Samorodnitsky, "Low-Degree Tests at Large Distances,", STOC'07, (2007), 506.   Google Scholar [31] B. Szegedy, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory I,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [32] -, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory II,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [33] -, Higher order Fourier analysis as an algebraic theory III,, preprint, ().   Google Scholar [34] T. Tao and T. Ziegler, The inverse conjecture for the Gowers norms over finite fields via the correspondence principle,, Anal. PDE, 3 (2010), 1.  doi: 10.2140/apde.2010.3.1.  Google Scholar [35] T. Tao and V. Vu, "Additive Combinatorics,", Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, 105 (2006).   Google Scholar [36] T. Ziegler, Universal characteristic factors and Furstenberg averages,, J. Amer. Math. Soc., 20 (2007), 53.  doi: 10.1090/S0894-0347-06-00532-7.  Google Scholar
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