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Quantum q-series and mock theta functions

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Abstract

Our results investigate mock theta functions and quantum modular forms via quantum q-series identities. After Lovejoy, quantum q-series identities are such that they do not hold as an equality between power series inside the unit disc in the classical sense, but do hold at dense sets of roots of unity on the boundary. We establish several general (multivariable) quantum q-series identities and apply them to various settings involving (universal) mock theta functions. As a consequence, we surprisingly show that limiting, finite, universal mock theta functions at roots of unity for which their infinite counterparts do not converge are quantum modular. Moreover, we show that these finite limiting universal mock theta functions play key roles in (generalized) Ramanujan radial limits. A further corollary of our work reveals that the finite Kontsevich–Zagier series is a kind of “universal quantum mock theta function,” in that it may be used to evaluate odd-order Ramanujan mock theta functions at roots of unity. (We also offer a similar result for even-order mock theta functions.) Finally, to complement the notion of a quantum q-series identity and the results of this paper, we also define what we call an “antiquantum q-series identity’ and offer motivating general results with applications to third-order mock theta functions.

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  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Amherst College, Amherst, MA, 01002, USA

    Amanda Folsom & David Metacarpa

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  1. Amanda Folsom
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Correspondence to Amanda Folsom.

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The authors are grateful for support from National Science Foundation RUI Grant DMS-2200728 (PI = first author). The authors thank the anonymous referee, and Jeremy Lovejoy, for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

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Folsom, A., Metacarpa, D. Quantum q-series and mock theta functions. Res Math Sci 11, 41 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40687-024-00447-w

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