On the number of prime factors of values of the sum-of-proper-divisors function (Q2253878)

It is a classical result of Hardy and Ramanujan that the number of distinct prime divisors of \(n\), denoted by \(\omega(n)\), asymptotically does not grow faster than \(\varepsilon\log\log n\) for all \(\varepsilon>0\), at least on a set with asymptotic density one. Counting the multiplicity of the prime divisors we get the \(\Omega(n)\) function for which the same asymptotic statement holds true. Let \(s(n)\) be the sum of the proper divisors of a positive integer \(n\). It was conjectured by \textit{P. Erdős} et al. [Prog. Math. 85, 165--204 (1990; Zbl 0721.11034)] that if \(\mathcal A\) is a set of natural numbers of asymptotic density zero, then \(s^{-1}(\mathcal A)\) also has density zero. This is a hard conjecture, but it has an implication, which is a Hardy-Ramanujan type statement for \(s(n)\): for any \(\varepsilon>0\) and all numbers \(n\leq x\) not belonging to a set of size \(o(x)\), we have that \[ |\omega(s(n))-\log\log s(n)|<\varepsilon\log\log s(n). \] In the present paper the author proves this latter statement, as well as that \[ |\Omega(s(n))-\log\log s(n)|<\varepsilon\log\log s(n). \]