A note on multiplicative functions resembling the Möbius function (Q2307448)

A function \( f\colon \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{C} \) \textit{resembles} the Möbius function \( \mu \) if \(f\) is multiplicative, supported on the squarefree integers, i.e., \(f (n) = 0\) whenever \(n\) is divisible by some perfect square, and \(f (p) \in \{+1, -1\}\) for each prime \(p\). In the paper under review, the author proves the following main results. Theorem. There exists a multiplicative function \(f\) resembling \( \mu \) and such that its partial sums \(M_f(x) := \sum_{n\le x}f(n)= o(\sqrt{x})\). Furthermore, assuming the Riemann hypothesis (RH), there exists \(f\) such that \(M_f(x) = o(x^{2/5+\epsilon})\), for any \(\epsilon > 0\). Theorem. Let \(f\) be a multiplicative function resembling \( \mu \). Let \(p\) be a generic prime number. Assume that for some real non-principal Dirichlet character \( \chi \) and for some constant \(c > 0\), \[ \sum_{p\le x}\left|1-f(p)\chi(p)\right|\ll \dfrac{\sqrt{x}}{\exp(c\sqrt{\log x})}. \] Then for some \(\lambda > 0\), \[ M_f(x) \ll \dfrac{\sqrt{x}}{\exp\left(\lambda(\log x)^{1/4}\right)}. \] Theorem. Let \(f = \mu^2 g\) where \(g : \mathbb{N} \to \{-1, 1\}\) is a completely multiplicative extension of a real non-principal Dirichlet character \( \chi \). Assume that RH holds for the \(L\)-function \(L(s, \chi)\), i.e., all the zeros on the half plane \(\mathbb{H}_0 := \{z = \sigma + it \in \mathbb{C} : \sigma > 0\}\) of \(L(s, \chi)\) have real part equals to \(1/2\). If \(M_f(x)\) is \(o(x^\alpha )\) for some \(\alpha > 0\), then: \begin{itemize} \item[i)]\( \alpha \ge 1/4 \); \item[ii)]\( \zeta \) has no zeros in the half plane \(\mathbb{H}_{2\alpha}\). \end{itemize} To prove Theorems 1--3, the author uses the well known properties of the multiplicative functions, the non-principal Dirichlet character \( \chi \), the \(L\)-function \( L(s, \chi) \) assuming that RH holds, and the usual techniques in analytic number theory.