On the average prime factor of an integer and some related problems (Q1179841)

In an earlier paper [Arch. Math. 43, 37-43 (1984; Zbl 0519.10027)] the authors obtained an expansion for \((1/x^ 2)\sum_{n\leq x}P(n)\) as a polynomial in \(1/\log x\), with \(P(n)\) being the largest prime divisor of \(n\). Later [Arch. Math. 52, 440-448 (1989; Zbl 0658.10047)] and in this paper they consider the similar problem concerning an ``average prime divisor'' of \(n\). Let \(f(n)=\sum_{p\mid n}p^ \rho L(p)\), where \(p\) is prime, \(\rho>0\) and \(L(x)\) is a positive slowly oscillating function, that is the function satisfying \(L(cx)\sim L(x)\) as \(x\to\infty\), for any fixed \(c>0\). They prove that, as \(x\to\infty\), \[ \sum_{2\leq n\leq x}f(n)=\left({\zeta(1+\rho)\over 1+\rho}+o(1)\right){x^{1+\rho} L(x)\over \log x}, \] and also deduce that \[ \sum_{2\leq n\leq x}f(P(n))=\left({\zeta(1+\rho)\over 1+\rho}+o(1)\right){xf(x)\over\log x}. \] This second formula is an improvement on the result by the first author and \textit{A. Mercier} [Acta Arith. 52, 25-48 (1989; Zbl 0687.10030)] by removing earlier restrictive conditions on \(L(x)\). Sums over short intervals of the form \(x<n<x+h\), with \(h>x^{7/12}\log^{22}x\), are also mentioned. Such results depend, of course, on the corresponding result concerning the distribution of primes in a short interval.