Integers with dense divisors (Q1881321)

Let \(F(1)=1\), \(P^-(1)=\infty\), and, when \(n\geq 2\), \(P^-(n)= \min_{p|n}p\), \[ F(n)= \max\{dP^-(d):d|n,\;d>1\}. \] An alternative way of expressing \(F(n)\) was established by G. Tenenbaum, who proved that if \(n\geq 2\) and \(1=d_1(n)<\cdots <d_{\tau(n)}=n\) denote the divisors of \(n\), then \(\frac{F(n)}{n}= \max_{1\leq j< \tau(n)}\frac {d_{j+1} (n)}{d_j(n)}\); if \(F(n)\leq ny\), the divisors of \(n\) are said to be \(y\)-dense. In [J. Number Theory 86, 39--49 (2001; Zbl 1012.11087)], \textit{E. Saias} determined the order of magnitude of \[ D(x,y,z)= \bigl|\{n\leq x:F(n)\leq ny,P^-(n)> z\}\bigr|. \] under certain conditions on \(x,y,z\). The object of Theorem 1 of the current paper is to establish an asymptotic formula, uniform for \(\tfrac 32\leq z\leq y\leq x\), for \(D(x,y,z)\) in terms of a solution \(d(u,v)\) of a certain partial differential-difference equation, where \(u=\frac{\log x}{\log y}\), \(v= \frac{\log x}{\log z}\), and also one for a similar quantity when the condition \(F(n)\leq ny\) is replaced by \(F(n) \leq xy\). The function \(d(u,v)\) is studied further in Theorem 2, part of which states that \(d(u,v)\asymp \frac {1}{u+1}(1-\frac uv)\) for all but an exceptional set of pairs \((u, v)\). In [J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 20, 165--176 (1979; Zbl 0422.10050)], \textit{G. Tenenbaum} showed that for fixed \(\lambda\in(0,1]\), \(|\{n\leq x: F(n)\leq n^{1+\lambda}\}| \sim xf(\lambda)\) as \(x\to\infty\) where \(f\) is a continuous function; in Theorem 3, the present author expresses \(d(u,v)\) in terms of \(f(\frac 1u)\) when \(1\leq u\leq v\). For Part II, see ibid. 108, No. 1, 18--28 (2004; Zbl 1055.11054) below.