On the number of pairs of positive integers \(x,y \leq H\) such that \(x^2+y^2+1\) is squarefree (Q766210)

There are various papers in the literature concerned with estimating the number of power free values of polynomials; see, for example, [J. Number Theory 129, No. 6, 1443--1455 (2009; Zbl 1233.11101)] by \textit{C. Hooley}. The present author considers the number \(S(H)\) of positive integers \(x,y\leq H\) such that \(x^2+y^2+1\) is squarefree, so \[ S(H)= \sum_{1\leq x,y\leq H} \mu^2(x^2+ y^2+ 1)= \sum_{1\leq d\leq\sqrt{2H^2+1}} \mu(d)\, T(H;d^2), \] where \(T(H;d^2)\) equals the number of pairs \(x,y\leq H\) with \(d^2\mid(x^2+ y^2+1)\). The aim of this paper is to establish that \[ S(H)= cH^2+ O(H^{{4\over 3}+\varepsilon}),\text{ where }c= \prod_p\Biggl(1- {\lambda(p^2)\over p^4}\Biggr) \] with \(\lambda(p^2)\) being the number of pairs \(x,y\leq p^2\) such that \(p^2\mid(x^2+ y^2+1)\). The author shows that the main term arises by considering \(T(H;d^2)\) for squarefree \(d\leq H^{{2\over 3}}\). The strategies for considering the various complicated error terms include using Weil's estimate for Kloosterman sums and expressing the tail of the Fourier series for \(\rho(t)={1\over 2}-\{t\}\) in a different way from the one usually quoted (which would have led to a weaker error term \(o(H^{{3\over 2}+\varepsilon})\)).