Twisted $2k$th moments of primitive Dirichlet $L$-functions: beyond the diagonal

Abstract

We study the family of Dirichlet $L$-functions of all even primitive characters of conductor at most $Q$, where $Q$ is a parameter tending to $\infty$. For an arbitrary positive integer $k$, we approximate the twisted $2k$th moment of this family by using Dirichlet polynomial approximations of $L^k(s,\chi)$ of length $X$, with $Q<X<Q^2$. Assuming the Generalized Lindel\"{o}f Hypothesis, we prove an asymptotic formula for these approximations of the twisted moments. Our result agrees with the prediction of Conrey, Farmer, Keating, Rubinstein, and Snaith for this family of $L$-functions, and provides the first rigorous evidence beyond the diagonal terms for their conjectured asymptotic formula for the general $2k$th moment of this family.