Random linear configurations in dense sets and primes

Abstract

We prove that every polylogarithmically dense subset of $[N]$ contains a nontrivial configuration $x+b_1m,\ldots,x+b_km$ for almost all choices of the coefficient vector $(b_1,\ldots, b_k)$ in a wide range of scales. We prove the same statement for polylogarithmically relatively dense subsets of the primes, in a shorter range of scales. The main ingredients are a new quantitative generalised von Neumann theorem, degree lowering to the $U^{1+}$ norm, and densification arguments that transfer the result to the primes.