Higher-order generalizations of stability and arithmetic regularity

Abstract: We define a natural notion of higher-order stability and show that subsets of $\mathbb{F}_p^n$ that are tame in this sense can be approximately described by a union of low-complexity quadratic subvarieties up to linear error. This generalizes the arithmetic regularity lemma for stable subsets of $\mathbb{F}_p^n$ proved by the authors, as well as subsequent refinements and generalizations by the authors, and Conant, Terry, and Pillay, to the realm of higher-order Fourier analysis.