The distribution of values of \(L(1,\chi_d)\) (Q1423509)

Let \(d\) denote a fundamental discriminant, and \(\chi_d\) the associated primitive real character to the modulus \(| d| \). In this interesting paper the authors investigate the distribution of values of \(L(1, \chi_d)\) as \(d\) varies over all fundamental discriminants with \(| d| \leq x\). They compare the distribution of values of \(L(1, \chi_d)\) with the distribution of ``random Euler products'' \(\prod_p(1-X(p)/p)^{-1}\) where the \(X(p)\)'s are independent random variables taking values \(0\) or \(\pm1\) with suitable probabilities. Then they give asymptotics for the probability that \(L(1, \chi_d)\) exceeds \(e^\gamma\tau\), and the probability that \(L(1, \chi_d)\leq \frac{\pi^2}{6}\frac1{e^\gamma\tau}\) uniformly in a wide range of \(\tau\). The method allows to prove (really the authors prove more) a recent conjecture of \textit{H. L. Montgomery} and \textit{R. C. Vaughan} [Number theory in progress, Volume 2: Elementary and analytic number theory. Berlin: de Gruyter, 1039--1052 (1999; Zbl 0942.11040)], that {the proportion of fundamental discriminants \(| d| \leq x\) with \(L(1, \chi_d)\geq e^\gamma\log\log | d| \) is \(>\exp(-C\log x/\log\log x)\) and \(<\exp(-c\log x/\log\log x)\) for appropriate constants \(0<c<C<\infty\); similar estimates apply to the proportion of fundamental discriminants \(| d| \leq x\) with \(L(1, \chi_d)\leq \zeta(2)/(e^\gamma\log\log | d| )\).} The results are presented in 6 theorems and one proposition. In the errata the authors correct some notational errors discovered in the paper under review.