Hua's theorem with five amost equal prime variables (Q2483730)

A classical theorem of Hua states that every large integer \(N\equiv 5(\bmod 24)\) is the sum of five squares of primes. Later, people studied Hua's theorem with five almost equal prime variables, i.e. the representation \(N=p_1^2+\cdots +p_5^2\) with \(| p_j-\sqrt{N/5}| \ll N^{1/2-\varDelta+\varepsilon}\) where \(\varDelta\) is some positive constant. The solution to this problem depends on two ingredients: (1) A technique to get asymptotic formula on rather large major arcs; (2) Estimates for quadratic exponential sums over primes in short intervals. In \textit{J. Y. Liu} and \textit{T. Zhan} [Acta Arith. 77, 369--383 (1996; Zbl 0863.11067)], an estimate of issue (2) is established; but the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH) is applied to deal with issue (1). In this way, they proved that \(\varDelta=1/20\) is acceptable under GRH. \textit{C. Bauer} [Arch. Math., 69, 20--30 (1997; Zbl 0886.11059)] used the Deuring-Heilbronn phenomenon to deal with issue (1), and showed the existence of some \(\varDelta>0\), which is not determined numerically. An approach to issue (1) without the application of the Deuring-Heilbronn phenomenon was introduced in \textit{J. Y. Liu} and \textit{T. Zhan} [Sci. China, 41, 710--722 (1998; Zbl 0938.11048)], and the method is cultivated in a series of papers. In this direction, the following results have been achieved: \(\varDelta=1/50\) and \(1/46\) in [Zbl 0938.11048] \textit{J. Y. Liu} and \textit{T. Zhan} [Acta Math. Sin., Engl. Ser. 16, No. 4, 669--690 (2000; Zbl 0995.11057)], and \(\varDelta=19/850\) in \textit{C. Bauer} [Acta Math. Sin., Engl. Ser. 21, No. 4, 833--840 (2005; Zbl 1101.11041)]. In the present paper, the author gets the better constant \(\varDelta=1/35\), by modifying the iterative method introduced in \textit{J. Y. Liu} [Q. J. Math. 54, No. 4, 453--462 (2003; Zbl 1080.11071)].