A quantitative stability theorem for convolution on the Heisenberg group

Abstract

Although the convolution operators on Euclidean space and the Heisenberg group satisfy the same $L^p$ bounds with the same optimal constants, the former has maximizers while the latter does not. However, as work of Christ has shown, it is still possible to characterize near-maximizers. Specifically, any near-maximizing triple of the trilinear form for convolution on the Heisenberg group must be close to a particular type of triple of ordered Gaussians after adjusting by symmetry. In this paper, we use the expansion method to prove a quantitative version of this characterization.