We survey divisibility properties of the Fourier coefficients of modular functions inspired by Ramanujan. Then using recent results of the generalized Hecke operator on harmonic Maass functions and known divisibility of Fourier coefficients of modular functions, we establish congruence relations of the Fourier coefficients of certain modular functions and mock modular functions of various levles.
Recently, Garthwaite-Penniston have shown that the coefficients of Ramanujan's mock theta function $ω$ satisfy infinitely many congruences of Ramanujan-type. In this work we give the first explicit examples of congruences for Ramanujan's mock theta function $ω$ and another mock theta function $\mathcal{C}$.
We describe the $p$-divisibility transposition for the Fourier coefficients of Siegel modular forms. This provides a supplement to the result by Wilton for $p$-divisibility satisfied by the Ramanujan $τ$-function.
We present completions of mock theta functions to harmonic weak Maass forms of weight $1/2$ and algebraic formulas for the coefficients of mock theta functions. We give several harmonic weak Maass forms of weight $1/2$ that have mock theta functions as their holomorphic part. Using these harmonic weak Maass forms and the Millson theta lift we compute finite algebraic formulas for the coefficients of the appearing mock theta functions in terms of traces of singular moduli.
Using results from Ramanujan's lost notebook, Zudilin recently gave an insightful proof of a radial limit result of Folsom, Ono, and Rhoades for mock theta functions. Here we see that the author's previous work on the dual nature of Appell--Lerch sums and partial theta functions and on constructing bilateral $q$-series with mixed mock modular behaviour is well-suited for such radial limits. We present five more radial limit results which follow from mixed mock modular bilateral $q$-hypergeometric series. We also obtain the mixed mock modular bilateral series for a universal mock theta function…
The generating function of partitions with repeated (resp. distinct) parts such that each odd part is less than twice the smallest part is shown to be the third order mock theta function $ω(q)$ (resp. $ν(-q)$). Similar results for partitions with the corresponding restriction on each even part are also obtained, one of which involves the third order mock theta function $ϕ(q)$. Congruences for the smallest parts functions associated to such partitions are obtained. Two analogues of the partition-theoretic interpretation of Euler's pentagonal theorem are also obtained.
We show that all of Ramanujan's mock theta functions of order 3, Watson's three additional mock theta functions of order 3, the Rogers-Ramanujan q-series, and 6 mock theta functions of order 5 take on irrational values at the points q=\pm 1/2,\pm 1/3,\pm 1/4,...
We find two involutions on partitions that lead to partition identities for Ramanujan's third order mock theta functions $ϕ(-q)$ and $ψ(-q)$. We also give an involution for Fine's partition identity on the mock theta function f(q). The two classical identities of Ramanujan on third order mock theta functions are consequences of these partition identities. Our combinatorial constructions also apply to Andrews' generalizations of Ramanujan's identities.
Ramanujan's last letter to Hardy explored the asymptotic properties of modular forms, as well as those of certain interesting $q$-series which he called \emph{mock theta functions}. For his mock theta function $f(q)$, he claimed that as $q$ approaches an even order $2k$ root of unity $ζ$, \[\lim_{q\to ζ} \big(f(q) - (-1)^k (1-q)(1-q^3)(1-q^5)\cdots (1-2q + 2q^4 - \cdots)\big) = O(1),\] and hinted at the existence of similar statements for his other mock theta functions. Recent work of Folsom-Ono-Rhoades provides a closed formula for the implied constant in this radial limit of $f(q)$. Here, by…
We employ spectral methods of automorphic forms to establish a holomorphic projection operator for tensor products of vector-valued harmonic weak Maass forms and vector-valued modular forms. We apply this operator to discover simple recursions for Fourier series coefficients of Ramanujan's mock theta functions.
In this paper we study $b_5(n)$, the $5$-regular partitions of $n$. Using the theory of modular forms, we prove several theorems on the divisibility and distribution properties of $b_5(n)$ modulo prime $m\geq5$. In particular, we prove that there are infinitely many Ramanujan-type congruences modulo prime $m\geq5$.
The modular transformations of Ramanujan's tenth order mock theta functions are computed, beginning from Choi's Hecke-type identites and using Zwegers' results on indefinite theta series. Explicit completions and shadows are found as an intermediate step. Our result for the modular transformations confirms numerical work by Gordon and McIntosh, and a recent conjecture by Cheng, Duncan, and Harvey.
Inspired by the original definition of mock theta functions by Ramanujan, a number of authors have considered the question of explicitly determining their behavior at the cusps. Moreover, these examples have been connected to important objects such as quantum modular forms and ranks and cranks by Folsom, Ono, and Rhoades. Here we solve the general problem of understanding Ramanujan's definition explicitly for any weight $\frac12$ mock theta function, answering a question of Rhoades. Moreover, as a side product, our results give a large, explicit family of modular forms.
We study a canonical basis for spaces of weakly holomorphic modular forms of weights 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 26 on the full modular group. We prove a relation between the Fourier coefficients of modular forms in this canonical basis and a generalized Ramanujan tau-function, and use this to prove that these Fourier coefficients are often highly divisible by 2.
We present q-series proofs of four identities involving sixth order mock theta functions from Ramanujan's lost notebook. We also show how Ramanujan's identities can be used to give a quick proof of four sixth order identities of Berndt and Chan.
In this paper we consider the first four of the eight identities between the tenth order mock theta functions, found in Ramanujan's lost notebook. These were originally proved by Choi. Here we give an alternative (much shorter) proof.
We give simple proofs of Hecke-Rogers indefinite binary theta series identities for the two Ramanujan fifth order mock theta functions $χ_0(q)$ and $χ_1(q)$ and all three of Ramanujan's seventh order mock theta functions. We find that the coefficients of the three mock theta functions of order 7 are surprisingly related.
We analyze the mock modular behavior of $\bar{P}_ω(q)$, a partition function introduced by Andrews, Dixit, Schultz, and Yee. This function arose in a study of smallest parts functions related to classical third order mock theta functions, one of which is $ω(q)$. We find that the modular completion of $\bar{P}_ω(q)$ is not simply a harmonic Maass form, but is instead the derivative of a linear combination of products of various harmonic Maass forms and theta functions. We precisely describe its behavior under modular transformations and find that the image under the Maass lowering operator lies…
We study the divisibility properties of the partition function associated with the eighth order mock theta function $V_0(q)$, introduced by Gordon and McIntosh. We obtain congruences modulo powers of 2 for certain coefficients of the partition function, akin to Ramanujan's partition congruences. Further, we also present several infinite families of congruences molulo 13, 25 and 27.
We establish Ramanujan-style congruences modulo certain primes $\ell$ between an Eisenstein series of weight $k$, prime level $p$ and a cuspidal newform in the $\varepsilon$-eigenspace of the Atkin-Lehner operator inside the space of cusp forms of weight $k$ for $Γ_0(p)$. Under a mild assumption, this refines a result of Gaba-Popa. We use these congruences and recent work of Ciolan, Languasco and the third author on Euler-Kronecker constants, to quantify the non-divisibility of the Fourier coefficients involved by $\ell.$ The degree of the number field generated by these coefficients we invest…
We evaluate regularized theta lifts for Lorentzian lattices in three different ways. In particular, we obtain formulas for their values at special points involving coefficients of mock theta functions. By comparing the different evaluations, we derive recurrences for the coefficients of mock theta functions, such as Hurwitz class numbers, Andrews' spt-function, and Ramanujan's mock theta functions.
Unary theta functions have played a significant role in the theory of holomorphic modular forms and modular $L$-functions. A partial theta functions is defined analogously, but the sum is over part of the integer lattice. Such sums fail to have modular properties. We give a construction which unifies these partial theta functions with the mock theta function introduced by Ramanujan. The modularity of Ramanujan's mock theta functions has only recently been understood by the work of Sander Zwegers.
In this Ph.D. thesis, written under the direction of D.B. Zagier and R.W. Bruggeman, we study the mock theta functions, that were introduced by Ramanujan. We show how they can be interpreted in the theory of (real-analytic) modular forms. In Chapter 1 we give results for Lerch sums (also called Appell functions, or generalized Lambert series). In Chapter 2 we consider indefinite theta functions of type (r-1,1). Chapter 3 deals with Fourier coefficients of meromorphic Jacobi forms. In Chapter 4 we use the results from Chapter 2 to give explicit results for 8 of the 10 fifth order mock theta fun…
Recently, Andrews, Dixit and Yee introduced partition functions associated with Ramanujan/Watson third order mock theta functions $ω(q)$ and $ν(q)$. In this paper, we find several new exact generating functions for those partition functions as well as the associated smallest parts functions and deduce several new congruences modulo powers of 5.
We obtain four Hecke-type double sums for three of Ramanujan's third order mock theta functions. We discuss how these four are related to the new mock theta functions of Andrews' work on $q$-orthogonal polynomials and Bringmann, Hikami, and Lovejoy's work on unified Witten-Reshetikhin-Turaev invariants of certain Seifert manifolds. We then prove identities between these new mock theta functions by first expressing them in terms of the universal mock theta function.
Recently, Andrews, Dixit and Yee defined two partition functions $p_ω(n)$ and $p_ν(n)$ that are related with Ramanujan's mock theta functions $ω(q)$ and $ν(q)$, respectively. In this paper, we present two variable generalizations of their results. As an application, we reprove their results on $p_ω(n)$ and $p_ν(n)$ that are analogous to Euler's pentagonal number theorem.
Referring to Ramanujan's original definition of a mock theta function, Rhoades asked for explicit formulas for radial limits of the universal mock theta functions $g_2$ and $g_3$. Recently, Bringmann and Rolen found such formulas for specializations of $g_2$. Here we treat the case of $g_3$, generalizing radial limit results for the rank generating function of Folsom, Ono, and Rhoades. Furthermore, we find expressions for radial limits of fifth order mock theta functions different from those of Bajpai, Kimport, Liang, Ma, and Ricci.
Bruinier and Ono recently developed the theory of generalized Borcherds products, which uses coefficients of certain Maass forms as exponents in infinite product expansions of meromorphic modular forms. Using this, one can use classical results on congruences of modular forms to obtain congruences for Maass forms. In this note we work out the example of Ramanujan's mock theta functions f and ω in detail.
Mock modular forms have their origins in Ramanujan's pioneering work on mock theta functions. In a 1975 paper, Zagier proved certain transformation properties of the generating function of the Hurwitz class numbers $H(n)$ for the discriminant $(-n)$. In the modern framework, these results show that the generating function of $H(n)$ is a mock modular form of weight 3/2 with the theta function being the shadow. In this expository paper, we provide a detailed proof of Zagier's result.
Let M(q)=\sum c(n) q^n be one of Ramanujan's mock theta functions. We establish the existence of infinitely many linear congruences of the form c(An+B) \equiv 0 (mod \ell^j), where A is a multiple of \ell and an auxiliary prime p. Moreover, we give an effectively computable upper bound on the smallest such p for which these congruences hold. The effective nature of our results is based on prior works of Lichtenstein and Treneer.
We classify the optimal mock Jacobi forms of weight one with rational coefficients. The space they span is thirty-four-dimensional, and admits a distinguished basis parameterized by genus zero groups of isometries of the hyperbolic plane. We show that their Fourier coefficients can be expressed explicitly in terms of singular moduli, and obtain positivity conditions which distinguish the optimal mock Jacobi forms that appear in umbral moonshine. We find that all of Ramanujan's mock theta functions can be expressed simply in terms of the optimal mock Jacobi forms with rational coefficients.
The mock theta conjectures are ten identities involving Ramanujan's fifth-order mock theta functions. The conjectures were proven by Hickerson in 1988 using q-series methods. Using methods from the theory of harmonic Maass forms, specifically work of Zwegers and Bringmann-Ono, Folsom reduced the proof of the mock theta conjectures to a finite computation. Both of these approaches involve proving the identities individually, relying on work of Andrews-Garvan. Here we give a unified proof of the mock theta conjectures by realizing them as an equality between two nonholomorphic vector-valued modu…
Ramanujan studied the analytic properties of many $q$-hypergeometric series. Of those, mock theta functions have been particularly intriguing, and by work of Zwegers, we now know how these curious $q$-series fit into the theory of automorphic forms. The analytic theory of partial theta functions however, which have $q$-expansions resembling modular theta functions, is not well understood. Here we consider families of $q$-hypergeometric series which converge in two disjoint domains. In one domain, we show that these series are often equal to one another, and define mock theta functions, includi…
At the 1987 Ramanujan Centenary meeting Dyson asked for a coherent group-theoretical structure for Ramanujan's mock theta functions analogous to Hecke's theory of modular forms. Many of Ramanujan's mock theta functions can be written in terms of $R(ζ,q)$, where $R(z,q)$ is the two-variable generating function of Dyson's rank function and $ζ$ is a root of unity. Building on earlier work of Watson, Zwegers, Gordon and McIntosh, and motivated by Dyson's question, Bringmann, Ono and Rhoades studied transformation properties of $R(ζ,q)$. In this paper we strengthen and extend the results of Bringma…
By developing a connection between partial theta functions and Appell-Lerch sums, we find and prove a formula which expresses Hecke-type double sums in terms of Appell-Lerch sums and theta functions. Not only does our formula prove classical Hecke-type double sum identities such as those found in work Kac and Peterson on affine Lie Algebras and Hecke modular forms, but once we have the Hecke-type forms for Ramanujan's mock theta functions our formula gives straightforward proofs of many of the classical mock theta function identities. In particular, we obtain a new proof of the mock theta conj…
In this paper we introduce k-run overpartitions as natural analogs to partitions without k-sequences, which were first defined and studied by Holroyd, Liggett, and Romik. Following their work as well as that of Andrews, we prove a number of results for k-run overpartitions, beginning with a double summation q-hypergeometric series representation for the generating functions. In the special case of 1-run overpartitions we further relate the generating function to one of Ramanujan's mock theta functions. Finally, we describe the relationship between k-run overpartitions and certain sequences of …
Mock modular forms, which give the theoretical framework for Ramanujan's enigmatic mock theta functions, play many roles in mathematics. We study their role in the context of modular parameterizations of elliptic curves $E/\mathbb{Q}$. We show that mock modular forms which arise from Weierstrass $ζ$-functions encode the central $L$-values and $L$-derivatives which occur in the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture. By defining a theta lift using a kernel recently studied by Hövel, we obtain canonical weight 1/2 harmonic Maass forms whose Fourier coefficients encode the vanishing of these values…
Let $f(q)$ denote Ramanujan's mock theta function \[f(q) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a(n) q^{n} := 1+\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{q^{n^{2}}}{(1+q)^{2}(1+q^{2})^{2}\cdots(1+q^{n})^{2}}.\] It is known that there are many linear congruences for the coefficients of $f(q)$ and other mock theta functions. We prove that if the linear congruence $a(mn+t) \equiv 0 \pmod{\ell}$ holds for some prime $\ell \geq 5$, then $\ell | m$ and $(\frac{24t-1}{\ell}) \neq (\frac{-1}{\ell})$. We prove analogous results for the mock theta function $ω(q)$ and for a large class of weakly holomorphic modular forms which includes …
Ramanujan influenced many areas of mathematics, but his work on q-series, on the growth of coefficients of modular forms, and on mock modular forms stands out for its depth and breadth of applications. I will give a brief overview of how this part of Ramanujan's work has influenced physics with an emphasis on applications to string theory, counting of black hole states and moonshine. This paper contains the material from my presentation at the meeting celebrating the centenary of Ramanujan's election as FRS and adds some additional material on black hole entropy and the AdS/CFT correspondence.
Mock theta functions were introduced by Ramanujan in 1920 but a proper understanding of mock modularity has emerged only recently with the work of Zwegers in 2002. In these lectures we describe three manifestations of this apparently exotic mathematics in three important physical contexts of holography, topology and duality where mock modularity has come to play an important role.
We obtain two-variable Hecke-Rogers identities for three universal mock theta functions. This implies that many of Ramanujan's mock theta functions, including all the third order functions, have a Hecke-Rogers-type double sum representation. We find new generating function identities for the Dyson rank function, the overpartition rank function, the M2-rank function and related spt-crank functions. Results are proved using the theory of basic hypergeometric functions.
Suppose $j_N(τ)$ and $j_N^{*}(τ)$ are the Hauptmoduln of the congruence subgroup $Γ_0(N)$ and the Fricke group $Γ^{*}_0(N)$, respectively. In [7], the authors predicted that, like Klein's $j$-function, the Fourier coefficients of $j_N(τ)$ and $j_{N}^{*}(τ)$ in some arithmetic progression are both even and odd with density $\frac{1}{2}$. In this article, we can find some arithmetic progression of $n$ where the Fourier coefficients of $j_6(τ)$ (resp. $j_6^{*}(τ)$ and $j_{10}(τ)$) are almost always even. Furthermore, using Hecke eigenforms and Rogers-Ramanujan continued fraction, we obtain infini…
Mock modular forms have found applications in numerous branches of mathematical sciences since they were first introduced by Ramanujan nearly a century ago. In this proceeding we highlight a new area where mock modular forms start to play an important role, namely the study of three-manifold invariants. For a certain class of Seifert three-manifolds, we describe a conjecture on the mock modular properties of a recently proposed quantum invariant. As an illustration, we include concrete computations for a specific three-manifold, the Brieskorn sphere $Σ(2,3,7)$. This note is partially based on …
