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We extend the axiomatization for detecting and quantifying sign changes of Meher and Murty to sequences of complex numbers. We further generalize this result when the sequence is comprised of the coefficients of an $L$-function. As immediate applications, we prove that there are sign changes in intervals within sequences of coefficients of GL(2) holomorphic cusp forms, GL(2) Maass forms, and GL(3) Maass forms. Building on previous works by the authors, we prove that there are sign changes in intervals within sequences of partial sums of coefficients of GL(2) holomorphic cusp forms and Maass forms.

Let $f$ be a weight $k$ holomorphic cusp form of level one, and let $S_f(n)$ denote the sum of the first $n$ Fourier coefficients of $f$. In analogy with Dirichlet's divisor problem, it is conjectured that $S_f(X) \ll X^{\frac{k-1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} + \epsilon}$. Understanding and bounding $S_f(X)$ has been a very active area of research. The current best bound for individual $S_f(X)$ is $S_f(X) \ll X^{\frac{k-1}{2} + \frac{1}{3}} (\log X)^{-0.1185}$ from Wu. Chandrasekharan and Narasimhan showed that the Classical Conjecture for $S_f(X)$ holds on average over intervals of length $X$. Jutila improved this result to show that the Classical Conjecture for $S_f(X)$ holds on average over short intervals of length $X^{\frac{3}{4} + \epsilon}$. Building on the results and analytic information about $\sum \lvert S_f(n) \rvert^2 n^{-(s + k - 1)}$ from our recent work, we further improve these results to show that the Classical Conjecture for $S_f(X)$ holds on average over short intervals of length $X^{\frac{2}{3}}(\log X)^{\frac{1}{6}}$., Comment: To Appear in the Journal of Number Theory

Let $f$ and $g$ be weight $k$ holomorphic cusp forms and let $S_f(n)$ and $S_g(n)$ denote the sums of their first $n$ Fourier coefficients. Hafner and Ivic [HI], building on Chandrasekharan and Narasimhan [CN], proved asymptotics for $\sum_{n \leq X} \lvert S_f(n) \rvert^2$ and proved that the Classical Conjecture, that $S_f(X) \ll X^{\frac{k-1}{2} + \frac{1}{4} + \epsilon}$, holds on average over long intervals. In this paper, we introduce and obtain meromorphic continuations for the Dirichlet series $D(s, S_f \times S_g) = \sum S_f(n)\overline{S_g(n)} n^{-(s+k-1)}$ and $D(s, S_f \times \overline{S_g}) = \sum_n S_f(n)S_g(n) n^{-(s + k - 1)}$. Using these meromorphic continuations, we prove asymptotics for the smoothed second moment sums $\sum S_f(n)\overline{S_g(n)} e^{-n/X}$, proving a smoothed generalization of [HI]. We also attain asymptotics for analogous smoothed second moment sums of normalized Fourier coefficients, proving smoothed generalizations of what would be attainable from [CN]. Our methodology extends to a wide variety of weights and levels, and comparison with [CN] indicates very general cancellation between the Rankin-Selberg $L$-function $L(s, f\times g)$ and shifted convolution sums of the coefficients of $f$ and $g$. In forthcoming works, the authors apply the results of this paper to prove the Classical Conjecture on $\lvert S_f(n) \rvert^2$ is true on short intervals, and to prove sign change results on $\{S_f(n)\}_{n \in \mathbb{N}}$., Comment: To appear in the Journal of Number Theory