[step:Bound the pointwise pairing $\langle a,\bar\partial v^0\rangle$ by the curvature density via a rank-$q$ trace inequality]Using $(\bar\partial v^0)_{\bar k}=\frac fs w_k$,
\begin{align*}
\langle a,\bar\partial v^0\rangle=\sum_{k=1}^m\Big\langle a_{\bar k},\frac{f}{s}\,w_k\Big\rangle=\frac{\overline f}{s}\sum_{k=1}^m\langle a_{\bar k},w_k\rangle=\frac{\overline f}{s}\,P,\qquad P:=\sum_{k=1}^m\langle a_{\bar k},w_k\rangle .
\end{align*}
Introduce the curvature density of $\theta$ tested against $a$,
\begin{align*}
H_\theta:=\sum_{j,k=1}^m\theta_{j\bar k}\,\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle\ \ge 0,
\end{align*}
nonnegative because $(\theta_{j\bar k})$ is positive semidefinite. The Gram identity of the previous step gives $\sum_{j,k}\langle w_k,w_j\rangle\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle=s\,H_\theta$.
[claim:Rank trace inequality]
Let $a_{\bar 1},\dots,a_{\bar m}$ and $w_1,\dots,w_m$ be vectors in $\mathbb{C}^p$, and let $r:=\dim\operatorname{span}\{w_1,\dots,w_m\}$. Then
\begin{align*}
\Big|\sum_{k=1}^m\langle a_{\bar k},w_k\rangle\Big|^2\le r\sum_{j,k=1}^m\langle w_k,w_j\rangle\,\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle .
\end{align*}
[/claim]
[proof]
Let $A,W\in\mathbb{C}^{p\times m}$ be the matrices whose $k$-th columns are $a_{\bar k}$ and $w_k$. Treating vectors as $p\times1$ matrices, $\langle a_{\bar k},w_k\rangle=w_k^{*}a_{\bar k}=(W^{*}A)_{kk}$, so
\begin{align*}
\sum_{k=1}^m\langle a_{\bar k},w_k\rangle=\operatorname{tr}(W^{*}A)=\operatorname{tr}(AW^{*})=\operatorname{tr}B,\qquad B:=AW^{*}\in\mathbb{C}^{p\times p}.
\end{align*}
Likewise $(W^{*}W)_{jk}=\langle w_k,w_j\rangle$ and $(A^{*}A)_{kj}=\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle$, so
\begin{align*}
\sum_{j,k=1}^m\langle w_k,w_j\rangle\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle=\operatorname{tr}(W^{*}WA^{*}A)=\operatorname{tr}\big((AW^{*})^{*}AW^{*}\big)=\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}}^2,
\end{align*}
where $\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}}^2=\operatorname{tr}(B^{*}B)$ is the squared Hilbert–Schmidt norm. Since $B=AW^{*}$, we have $\operatorname{rank}B\le\operatorname{rank}(W^{*})=\operatorname{rank}W=r$. Let $\Pi\in\mathbb{C}^{p\times p}$ be the [orthogonal projection](/theorems/437) onto $\operatorname{Range}(B)$; then $\Pi=\Pi^{*}$, $\Pi B=B$, and $\operatorname{tr}\Pi=\operatorname{rank}B\le r$. With the Hilbert–Schmidt inner product $\langle X,Y\rangle_{\mathrm{HS}}=\operatorname{tr}(Y^{*}X)$,
\begin{align*}
\operatorname{tr}B=\operatorname{tr}(\Pi B)=\langle B,\Pi\rangle_{\mathrm{HS}},
\end{align*}
and the [Cauchy–Schwarz Inequality](/theorems/432) for $\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle_{\mathrm{HS}}$ gives
\begin{align*}
|\operatorname{tr}B|=|\langle B,\Pi\rangle_{\mathrm{HS}}|\le\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}}\,\|\Pi\|_{\mathrm{HS}}=\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}}\sqrt{\operatorname{tr}\Pi}\le\sqrt{r}\,\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}} .
\end{align*}
Squaring yields $|\operatorname{tr}B|^2\le r\,\|B\|_{\mathrm{HS}}^2$, which is the claim.
[/proof]
Applying the claim with $r=\dim\operatorname{span}\{w_k\}\le q$ and the identity $\sum_{j,k}\langle w_k,w_j\rangle\langle a_{\bar j},a_{\bar k}\rangle=s\,H_\theta$,
\begin{align*}
|P|^2\le r\,s\,H_\theta\le q\,s\,H_\theta .
\end{align*}
Therefore
\begin{align*}
|\langle a,\bar\partial v^0\rangle|^2=\frac{|f|^2}{s^2}\,|P|^2\le\frac{q\,|f|^2}{s}\,H_\theta .
\end{align*}[/step]