Lagrange's equation with almost-prime variables (Q2307453)

The author shows that every sufficiently large integer \(n\) satisfying \(n = 4 \pmod{24}\) can we written as \(n = a_1^2 + a_2^2 + a_3^2 + a_4^2\) where \(a_i\) are integers such that \(a_1, a_2\) and \(a_3\) have at most three prime factors and \(a_4\) has at most four prime factors. Compared to previous works, the main new ingredient is bringing in Selberg's \(\Lambda^2\)-sieve which leads to better results than previously used sieve methods.