On the Kesava Menon norm of semimultiplicative functions (Q2297341)

Let \( f,g\colon \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{C}\) be two arithmetical functions from the positive integers to the complex numbers, the Dirichlet convolution \( f*g \) is the new arithmetical function defined by \[ (f*g)(n)=\sum_{d\mid n}f(d)g\left(\frac{n}{d}\right)=\sum_{ab=n}f(a)g(b), \] where the sum extends over all positive divisors \(d\) of \(n\), or equivalently over all distinct pairs \((a,b)\) of positive integers whose product is \(n\). An arithmetical function \(f\) is said to be multiplicative if \( f(1)=1 \) and \( f(mn)=f(m)f(n) \) for all coprime positive integers \(m\), \(n\). An arithmetical function \(f\) is said to be completely multiplicative if \( f(mn)=f(m)f(n) \) for all positive integers \(m\), \(n\). An arithmetical function \(f\) is said to be \textit{semimultiplicative} if there exists a nonzero constant \(c_f\), a positive integer \(a_f\), and a multiplicative function \(f_M\) such that \[ f(n)=c_f f_M\left(\frac{n}{a_f}\right). \] A multiplicative function is said to be a \textit{rational arithmetical function} of degree \((r,s)\) if \[ f=g_1*\cdots*g_r*(h_1*\cdots*h_s)^{-1} \] for some completely multiplicative functions \(g_1, \ldots, g_r \), \( h_1, \ldots, h_s \). The \textit{Kesava Menon norm} \(N(f)\) of an arithmetical function \(f\) is defined by \[ N(f)(n)=(f*\bar{f})(n^2), \] where \(*\) is the Dirichlet convolution and \(\bar{f}\) is the conjugate of \(f\). The conjugate is defined as \(\bar{f}=\lambda f \), where \( \lambda \) is the Liouville function. The \(m\)th power Kesava Menon norm of \(f\) is defined inductively by \[ N^{0}(f)=f, \quad N^{m}(f)=N(N^{m-1}(f)), \quad m=1,2, \ldots. \] In the paper under review, the author proves that the \(m\)th power Kesava Menon norm of a semimultiplicative function is semimultiplicative and that the \(m\)th power Kesava Menon norm distributes over the Dirichlet convolution of semimultiplicative functions. Furthermore, the author proves that the \(m\)th power Kesava Menon normal of a rational arithmetical function of degree \((r,s)\) is a rational arithmetical function of the same degree.