Arithmetic properties of the Ramanujan function (Q2493459)

Let \(\tau(n)\) denote the Ramanujan function, \(P(n)\) the largest prime factor of \(n> 1\) and \(\omega(n)\) the number of distinct primes dividing \(n\). The authors investigate \(P(\tau(n))\) and \(\omega(\tau(n))\) when \(\tau(n)\neq 0\), with the aim of finding lower bounds for certain sequences. In section 1, well known properties of \(\tau(n)\) are given and previously known results are described; it is noted that the integers \(u_r= \tau(2^r)\) form a Lucas sequence. Theorem 1 establishes that \(P(\tau(n))\geq(\log n)^{{33\over 31}+o(1)}\) for infinitely many \(n\) with \(\tau(n)\neq 0\). The paper continues by determining lower bounds for \(\omega(\prod_{\substack{ p< x^{1/2}\\ \tau(p)\neq 0}} \tau(p) \tau(p^2) \tau(p^3))\) as \(x\to\infty\) and \(P(\tau(p) \tau(p^2) \tau(p^3))\) for primes \(p\to\infty\) with \(\tau(p)\neq 0\). The proofs use known results on bounds for smooth numbers, on \(S\)-unit equations and on bounds on linear forms in \(q\)-adic logarithms. (The reviewer noted a misprint in the second inequality after (7), where \(t\) on the right should be replaced by \(l\).) The final result establishes that there are only finitely many pairs \((m,n)\) of positive integers such that \(|\tau(m!)|= n!\).