%! TEX root = HOU.tex % vim: tw=80 ft=tex % 17/03/2026 10AM \begin{proof}[Proof of \cref{thm:3.13}] By inductionon $m = \text{number of $\nu_{-1}, \ldots, \nu_{-4}$ that are not identically $1$}$. $m = 0$ and $m = 1$ straightforward. Suppose true for $m = M \ge 1$, and consider $M + 1$. Without loss of generality $\nu_{-1}$ is not identically $1$. Define auxiliary weighted hypergraphs $\nu', g', \tilde{g}' : X_{-1} \to [0, \infty)$ by \begin{align*} \nu'(x_{-1}) &= \Ebb_{x_1 \in X_1} \nu_{-2}(x_{-2}) \nu{-3}(x_{-3}) \nu_{-4}(x_{-4}) \\ g'(x_{-1}) &= \Ebb_{x_1 \in X_1} g_{-2}(x_{-2}) g_{-3}(x_{-3}) g_{-4}(x_{-4}) \\ \tilde{g}'(x_{-1}) &= \Ebb_{x_1 \in X_1} \tilde{g}_{-2}(x_{-2}) \tilde{g}_{-3}(x_{-3}) \tilde{g}_{-4}(x_{-4}) \end{align*} Note that these do not depend on $\nu_{-1}$, $g_{-1}$, $\tilde{g}_{-1}$. Also define $g' \wedge 1 = \max \{g', 1\}$ and $\nu' \wedge 1 = \max \{\nu', 1\}$. Observe that by the LFC, $\Ebb \nu', \Ebb \nu'^2 = 1 + o(1)$ and by Cauchy--Schwarz, $(\Ebb |\nu' - 1|)^2 \le \Ebb |\nu' - 1|^2 = o(1)$ (i). \textbf{Claim:} $\|g' \wedge 1 - \tilde{g}'\|_{\square} = o(1)$. Proof of claim: Since $0 \le g' - g' \wedge 1 = \max \{g' - 1, 0\} \le \max \{\nu' - 1, 0\} \le |\nu' - 1|$ (ii). For any $A_2 \subseteq X_3 \times X_4$, $A_3 \subseteq X_2 \times X_4$, $A_4 \subseteq X_2 \times X_3$, \begin{align*} &\!\!\!\! \Ebb((g' \wedge 1) - \tilde{g}'(x_{-1})) \ub{\indicator{A_2}(x_3, x_4) \indicator{A_3}(x_2, x_4) \indicator{A_4}(x_2, x_3)}_{= \prod_{j = 2}^4 \indicator{A_j}} \\ &= \ub{\Ebb (g' \wedge 1 - g')(x_{-1})}_{\text{in absolute value $= o(1)$ because of (i) and (ii)}} \prod_{j = 2}^4 \indicator{A_j} + \Ebb (g' - \tilde{g}') (x_{-1}) \prod_{j = 2}^4 \indicator{A_j} \end{align*} Note that $g'$ involves at most $M$ unbounded functions, so the second term is $o(1)$ by the inductive hypothesis. \end{proof} Consider \begin{align*} \left| \Ebb \prod_{j = 1}^{4} g_{-j}(x_{-j}) - \prod_{j = 1}^{4} \tilde{g}_{-j}(x_{-j}) \right| &= |\Ebb_{x_2, x_3, x_4} g_{-1}(x_{-1}) g'(x_{-1}) - \tilde{g}_{-1}(x_{-1}) \tilde{g}'(x_{-1})| \\ &= \Ebb g_{-1} g' - \tilde{g}_{-1} \tilde{g}' \\ &= \Ebb g(g' - \tilde{g}')+ \Ebb (g - \tilde{g}) \tilde{g}' \end{align*} Since $0 \le \tilde{g} \le 1$, the second term is at most $\|g - \tilde{g}\|_{\square} = o(1)$. The first term, by Cauchy--Schwarz, is bounded above by \[ (\Ebb g) (\Ebb g(g' - \tilde{g}')^2) \le \ub{\Ebb \nu}_{= 1 + o(1)} \cdot \Ebb \nu(g' - \tilde{g}')^2 \] By the strong linear forms condition, may replace $\nu$ by $1$. So $|\Ebb g(g' - \tilde{g}')|^2 \le (1 + o(1))(o(1) + \Ebb(g' - \tilde{g}')^2)$. Expand \[ \Ebb(g' - \tilde{g}')^2 = \Ebb (\ub{g'}_{\le \nu'} - \ub{\tilde{g}'}_{\le 1}) \ub{(g' - g' \wedge 1)}_{\le |\nu' - 1|} + \ub{\Ebb (g' - \tilde{g}') (g' \wedge 1 - \tilde{g}')}_{= \text{(iii)}} \] So the first term is bounded above by $\Ebb(\nu' + 1)|\nu' + 1| = o(1)$ by LFC. Notice that \[ \Ebb (g' - \tilde{g}') (g' \wedge 1 - \tilde{g}') = \Ebb g' \cdot g' \wedge 1 + \Ebb \tilde{g}'^2 - \Ebb g' \tilde{g}' - \Ebb \tilde{g}' \cdot g' \wedge 1 ,\] and each term is, up to $o(1)$, equal to $\Ebb \tilde{g}'^2$. Indeed (let's do the hardest term), \[ \Ebb g' \cdot g' \wedge 1 - \Ebb \tilde{g}'^2 = \Ebb_{x_1, x_2, x_3, x_4} \left[ g' \wedge 1 (x_{-1}) \prod_{j = 2}^{4} g_{-j}(x_{-j}) - \tilde{g}'(x_{-1}) \prod_{j = 2}^4 \tilde{g}_{-j} (x_{-j}) \right] \] but $\|g' \wedge 1 - \tilde{g}'\|_{\square} = o(1)$ by the claim, so done by inductive hypothesis. \qed