On the order of prime powers dividing \({2n\choose n}\) (Q1346035)

The middle binomial coefficients \(\left( \begin{smallmatrix} 2n\\ n\end{smallmatrix} \right)\) used by Chebyshev in elementary prime number theory enjoy the interesting arithmetical property to have many different prime factors. However, in spite of such ``almost squarefreeness'', they have prime factors of increasingly high multiplicity for \(n\to \infty\), as shown by the author in a previous paper [J. Reine Angew. Math. 430, 1- 20 (1992; Zbl 0759.11004)]. In the present paper, this result is made more quantitative. Let \(E(n)\) be the maximal multiplicity of prime factors of \(\left( \begin{smallmatrix} 2n\\ n\end{smallmatrix} \right)\). The lower bound \(E(n) \gg (\log n/(\log \log n)^ 3 )^{1/10}\) is given in the main theorem. The principal tool in its proof is Vinogradov's method of exponential sums. The author conjectures that \(\log n\) is presumably the true order of \(E(n)\).