Bombieri-Vinogradov for multiplicative functions, and beyond the \(x^{1/2}\)-barrier (Q2421251)

Many number theoretic problems concerning an arithmetic function \(f\) require its behaviour in arithmetic progressions as a fundamental input. In the case of the characteristic function on the primes, or equivalently the von Mangoldt function, the famous Bombieri-Vinogradov theorem is often the first choice, and similar results are available for many other interesting arithmetic functions. The present paper is concerned with the scope and limitations of bounds of Bombieri-Vinogradov type results for general multiplicative functions taking values in the unit disk. (In fact, the class of functions is slightly more general, see p.306 of the paper.) For such a function \(f\) we define \[\Delta(f, x; q, a) := \sum_{\substack{n \leq x\\ n \equiv a\, (\text{mod } q)}} f(n) - \frac{1}{\phi(q)} \sum_{\substack{n \leq x\\ (n, q) = 1}} f(n)\] and aim for a bound for \[S_f(Q, x) := \sum_{Q < q \leq 2Q} \max_{(a, q) = 1} |\Delta(f, x;q, a)|\] The paper identifies two obstructions to good bounds for \(S(Q, x) \). (i) On the one hand, \(f\) can conspire with a character of small conductor. (ii) On the other hand, \(f\) could be badly distributed on primes \(x/2 < p < x\). Under the fairly weak assumption (ruling out the first point) \[ \Delta(f, x; q, a) \ll x/\log x, \quad (a, q) = 1, \] which shall be denoted by (*), the authors deduce \[S_f(Q, x) \ll x/(\log x)^{1-\varepsilon}, \quad Q \leq x^{1/2 - \delta}\] for some fixed \(\delta > 0\), and they show that this is in general the best one can hope for (because of (ii)). They also show that arbitrary powers of \(\log x\) can be saved if \(f\) is supported on smooth numbers (in which case (ii) is void). Finally the authors consider the situation of a fixed residue class \[S_f(Q, x;a) := \sum_{Q < q \leq 2Q} |\Delta(f, x;q, a)|\] in a desire to break the \(x^{1/2}\)-barrier. Extending a paper of \textit{B. Green} [Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A, Math. 148, No. 1, 63--77 (2017; Zbl 1404.11121)], they show that (*) implies \[S_f(Q, x; a) \ll x/(\log x)^{1-\varepsilon}, \quad Q \leq x^{20/39 - \delta}\] uniformly in \(1 \leq |a| \ll Q\).