Primes in short intervals (Q5896391)

\textit{M. N. Huxley} [Invent. Math. 15, 164-170 (1972; Zbl 0241.10026)] proved that \((1)\quad \pi(x)-\pi(x-y)\sim y/\log x\) as \(x\to \infty\) with \(y=x^{\theta}\) provided \(\theta>7/12\) where \(\pi\) (x) denotes the number of primes not exceeding x. Although this relation is essentially not improved it was possible to show by a combination of analytic and sieve methods that \((2)\quad \pi(x)-\pi(x-y)>>y/\log x\) if \(\theta \geq 13/23\) [see the first author and \textit{M. Jutila}, Ark. Mat. 17, 167-176 (1979; Zbl 0408.10029)]. This result was improved by \textit{D. R. Heath- Brown} and the first author to \(\theta>11/20\) [Invent. Math. 55, 49-69 (1979; Zbl 0424.10028)]. Recently the present authors obtained independently that (2) holds for every \(\theta>17/31\) [see the first author, Primes in short intervals (unpublished manuscript); and the second author, On primes in short intervals. I, II, Stud. Sci. Math. Hung. 16, 395-414 (1981; Zbl 0469.10013); and ibid. (to appear)]. In the present work the estimate (2) is proved for \(\theta \geq 23/42\). In the proof a crucial role is played by a result of \textit{J.-M. Deshouillers} and the first author [Mathematika 29, 202-212 (1982; Zbl 0506.10032)] concerning mean values of \(\zeta\) (s).