On the distribution of Beurling integers (Q2568209)

Let \((p_i)_{i\in \mathbb{N}}\) be a sequence of generalized primes, i.e. \( p_i\) are real numbers and \( 1 < p_1 \leq p_2 \leq \cdots, \, p_i \to \infty\), and \( (n_i)_{i \in \mathbb{N}_0} \) be the associated set of Beurling integers. Define for \(x >0\) the counting functions \[ N(x) := \sum_{n_i \leq x} 1 , \quad \pi(x) := \sum_{p_i^k\leq x}1,\quad \Pi(x)=\pi(x)+\tfrac12\;\pi\bigl(x^{1/2}\bigr)+\tfrac13\;\pi\bigl(x^{1/3}\bigr)+\cdots. \] \textit{A. Beurling} [Acta Math. 68, 255--291 (1937; Zbl 0017.29604)] proved that if \(N(x) = A\, x + O(x \log^{-\gamma}x)\) for some constants \(A >0\) and \(\gamma > 3/2\) then the generalized prime number theorems \( \pi(x) \sim x/\log(x)\) or \( \Pi(x) \sim x/\log(x)\) hold. \textit{H. G. Diamond} [Ill. J. Math. 14, 29--34 (1970; Zbl 0186.36501)] showed that \(\gamma = 3/2\) doesn't suffice. In the note under review the author considers the problem under what conditions on the distribution of the generators \(p_i\) it is true that \(N(x)\sim A\,x\), \(A>0\). The key of his results is the analytical behavior of the associated \(\zeta\)-function, defined for \(\sigma=\Re(s)>1\) by \[ \zeta(s)=s\int_1^\infty\frac{N(x)}{x^s}\,dx=\exp \, s\int_1^\infty\frac{\Pi(x)}{x^{s+1}}\,dx \] for \(\sigma\to1+0\). In a first theorem he proves that \(N(x)\sim A\,x\) is true under a much more weaker conditions as he is able to replace a previous asymptotical condition found by H. G. Diamond by an upper bound of Chebyshev type. Then he introduces the numbers \[ a_t:=\lim_{\sigma\to1+0}\frac{|\zeta(\sigma+it)|}{\zeta(\sigma)}, \] where \(t\in\mathbb{R}\) is fixed and defines \(V_\zeta:=\{t\in\mathbb{R}\,:\,a_t\not=0\}\). Under some conditions we have \(V_\zeta=v_\zeta\,\mathbb{Z}\), and if moreover the numbers \(a_t\) are not growing to fast when \(t\to\infty\), the author gets an asymptotic formula for \(N(x)\). As a corollary he proves that \(V_\zeta=v_\zeta\,\mathbb{Z}\) with some \(v_\zeta\geq0\) holds if \[ \pi(x)=O\bigl(x/\log(x)\bigr)\quad \text{ and}\quad \sum_{p_i\leq x}\frac1{p_i}=\log\log(x)+b+0(1). \] In the last section he shows that for any given \(\alpha>0\) there exists a sequence of Beurling primes such that \(v_\zeta=\alpha\) holds.