Sparsely totient numbers (Q1355491)

\textit{D. W. Masser} and \textit{P. Shiu} [Pac. J. Math. 121, 407-426 (1986; Zbl 0538.10006)] called \(n\) a sparsely totient number if \(\phi(m)>\phi(n)\) for all \(m>n\). Various interesting properties of such numbers were established. For example, if \(P(n)\) is the largest prime divisor of \(n\), then \(\liminf P(n)/\log n=1\). Although they conjectured that \(\limsup P(n)/\log n=2\), they only managed to prove that \(P(n)\ll\log^2n\). Subsequently \textit{G. Harman} [Glasg. Math. J. 33, 349-358 (1991; Zbl 0732.11049)] made significant progress by means of the estimation of exponential sums to prove that \(P(n)\ll \log^\delta n\) holds for an exponent \(\delta>122/65\). Making use of work of \textit{E. Fouvry} and \textit{H. Iwaniec} [J. Number Theory 33, 311-333 (1989; Zbl 0687.10028)] on exponential sums, the authors make further improvement by showing that \(\delta=37/20\) is admissible. The proof amounts to showing that if \(v^\delta<x<v^2\) then there are \(\gg x/v\log x\) primes \(p\) in the interval \(2v<p<3v\) with the fractional parts \(\{x/p\}\) exceeding \(1-x/16v^2\).