Leçons Hadamard 2014

Classical Fourier analysis has found many uses in additive number theory. However, while it is well-adapted to some pro - blems, it is unable to handle others. For example, if one has a set A, and one wishes to know how many 3-term arithmetic progressions are contained in A, then Fourier analysis is useful, but if one wishes to count 4-term progressions then it is not. For this, and other, problems the more general notion of a nilsequence is required. NIlsequences are a kind of «higher order character» forming the basis of what is becoming known as «higher-order Fourier analysis». The talks will be about this theory.