On ideals free of large prime factors (Q2483718)

The \(\psi(x,y)\) function is defined to be the number of positive integers \(\leq x\) with no prime factor exceeding \(y\). If \(K\) is a number field \(\psi_K(x,y)\) is similarly defined to be the number of ideals in the ring of integers of \(K\) having norm \(\leq x\) and with no prime ideal factor of norm exceeding \(y\). The Dickman-de Bruijn function \(\rho(u)\) is defined by the differential-difference equation \(\rho(u)=1\) for \(0\leq u\leq 1\) and \(u\rho'(u)+\rho(u-1)=0\) for \(u>1\). It is well-known that \(x\rho(u)\) with \(u=\log x/\log y\) provides a good approximation to \(\psi(x,y)\) in a large \(x,y\)-region. An even better approximation to \(\psi(x,y)\) is provided by a certain function \(\Lambda(x,y)\) that involves an integral of the Dickman-de Bruijn function. The function \(\Lambda(x,y)\) was introduced by de Bruijn in 1951. \textit{E. Saias} [J. Number Theory 32, No. 1, 78--99 (1989; Zbl 0676.10028)] proved that \(\Lambda(x,y)\) provides a very good approximation to \(\psi(x,y)\). In the present paper the author extends this result to an algebraic number field \(K\) by obtaining an asymptotic formula for \(\psi_K(x,y)\) with the same error term and valid in the same region. She studies in detail the difference \(\psi_K(x,y)-\lambda_K \psi(x,y)\), where \(\lambda_K\) is the residue of the Dedekind zeta-function at \(s=1\). This difference behaves like the difference \(\psi(x,y)-x\rho(u)\), provided a certain invariant of \(K\) is non-zero. The author also applies her results to study the asymptotic behaviour (as \(x\) tends to infinity) of the number field analogue of \(\sum_{n\leq x}1/P(n)\), where \(P(n)\) denotes the greatest prime factor of \(n\). The proofs are rather involved and require a good mastery of known techniques that were used to prove various deep results on \(\psi(x,y)\).