Large sieves for $\mathrm{GL}_n$ and applications

Abstract

Let $\mathfrak{F}_n$ be the set of unitary cuspidal automorphic representations of $\mathrm{GL}_n$ over a number field $F$, and let $S\subseteq\mathfrak{F}_n$ be an arbitrary finite subset. Given $\pi_0\in\mathfrak{F}_{n_0}$, we establish large sieve inequalities for the families $\{L(s,\pi)\colon \pi\in S\}$ and $\{L(s,\pi\times\pi_0)\colon \pi\in S\}$ that, unlike previous results, are independent of progress towards the generalized Ramanujan conjecture, and simultaneously handle the Dirichlet coefficients of $L$, $L^{-1}$, and $\log L$. We also give the first such result that improves upon the trivial bound for short sums. We present several applications, including: (1) the strongest bound for $\sum_{\pi\in S}|L(\frac{1}{2},\pi)|^2$ that holds for arbitrary $S$, (2) significant improvements to zero density estimates for families of automorphic and Rankin--Selberg $L$-functions, counting violations to the generalized Riemann hypothesis near $\mathrm{Re}(s)=1$, (3) the removal of all unproven hypotheses in the conditional log-free zero density estimate for families of Rankin--Selberg $L$-functions proved by Brumley, Thorner, and Zaman, and (4) an improvement of the density theorem for non-archimedean Langlands parameters due to Lichtman and Pascadi, counting violations to the generalized Ramanujan conjecture.