On a problem of D. H. Lehmer over short intervals (Q2493016): Difference between revisions

For an odd prime \(p\), let \(N(a,p)\) denote the number of pairs of integers \(b,c\) of opposite parity in the interval \([1,(p-1)/2]\) with \(bc \equiv a\pmod p\), and for fixed \(a>0\) with \((a,p)=1\), let \(E(a,p)=N (a,p)-(p-1)/8\). The main result of this paper is the asymptotic formula \[ \sum^{p-1}_{a=1}E^2(a,p)=\frac{9}{64}p^2 +O(p^{1+ \varepsilon}), \] valid for every \(\varepsilon >0\). This is a companion to an analogous result of the second author for \(b,c\) in the longer interval \([1,p-1]\).