Efficient prime counting and the Chebyshev primes (Q2249928): Difference between revisions

The authors study the distribution of primes, applying very classical tools of Analytic Number Theory; esp., \[ \pi(x):=|\{ p\leq x \}|\,, \] i.e. the number of primes up to \(x\) (\(\to \infty\)), where \(p\) always denotes a prime; the von Mangoldt function \(\Lambda(n)\) which is (a weighted counting function of primes and) defined as \(\log p\) for all \(n=p^r\) (\(r>0\) an integer), zero otherwise, contained (implicitly/explicitly) in the two sums \[ \theta(x):=\sum_{p\leq x}\log p, \quad \psi(x):=\sum_{n\leq x}\Lambda(n), \] i.e., the Chebyshev functions; the Riemann zeta function, namely \[ \zeta(s):=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}n^{-s}, \quad \text{Re}(s)>1 \] (and then extended by analytic continuation, etc.: see the 8-pages memoir of \textit{B. Riemann} himself [Mitt. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1859, 671--680 (1860), an English translation can be found as appendix to {\textit{H. M. Edwards}' book ``Riemann's zeta-function.'' London: Academic Press (1974; Zbl 0315.10035)] and, then, \textit{A. Ivić}'s book on it [``The Riemann Zeta Function''. New York etc.: John Wiley (1985; Zbl 0556.10026)]). The most famous Riemann Hypothesis (RH) is the (still unproven) statement: all complex (non-real) zeros of \(\zeta\) have real part \(1/2\). First of all, starting from Gauss and the Prime Number Theorem (one form is: \(\psi(x)\sim x\), as \(x\to \infty\)): \[ \text{li}(x):=\int_{2}^{x}{1\over {\log t}}\,dt \] i.e., the Logarithmic Integral (sometimes written \(\text{Li}(x)\), instead: there's a typo in the paper), has been used as a good approximation to \(\pi(x)\), even after the discovery that say \(\varepsilon(x):=\text{li}(x)-\pi(x)\) is oscillating in sign (after the very big Skewes number, see his paper [\textit{S. Skewes}, J. Lond. Math. Soc. 8, 277--283 (1933; Zbl 0007.34003, JFM 59.0370.02)]). By the way, \textit{G. Robin} [Ann. Fac. Sci. Toulouse, V. Sér., Math. 6, 257--268 (1984; Zbl 0543.10032)] has found the equivalence between RH and the positivity of \(\varepsilon_{\theta(x)}:=\text{li}(\theta(x))-\pi(x)\); and the authors use this to prove RH is equivalent to \(\varepsilon_{\psi(x)}:=\text{li}(\psi(x))-\pi(x)>0\) (see Theorem 1 \& Corollary 2 in the paper). Many variations on the theme of jumps at primes, for different functions (Chebyshev ones, but not only) is then the main theme of the paper, with a wealth of Conjectures and ``experiments'', for the heuristic side of this very interesting subject. Last but not least, a more efficient formula for prime-counting (namely, a good approximation to \(\pi(x)\) function) with respect to the Riemann original one (see the paper, consult the classic memoir: it's linked to Riemann-von Mangoldt explicit formula, i.e. (3) in the paper) is derived by the authors who dedicate to the ``experimental'', so to speak, tests (see the tables of primes completing the paper).}