Burgess bounds for multi-dimensional short mixed character sums

Abstract

This paper proves Burgess bounds for short mixed character sums in multi-dimensional settings. The mixed character sums we consider involve both an exponential evaluated at a real-valued multivariate polynomial, and a product of multiplicative Dirichlet characters. We combine a multi-dimensional Burgess method with recent results on multi-dimensional Vinogradov Mean Value Theorems for translation-dilation invariant systems in order to prove character sum bounds in any dimension that recapture the Burgess bound in dimension 1. Moreover, we show that by embedding the given polynomial into an advantageously chosen translation-dilation invariant system constructed in terms of that polynomial, we may in many cases significantly improve the bound for the associated character sum, due to a novel phenomenon that occurs only in dimensions two and higher.