Jacobi's four and eight squares theorems and partitions into distinct parts (Q2633661)

Let $r_s(n)$ denote the number of integer solutions $(x_1,x_2,\dots,x_s)\in\mathbb{Z}^s$ to the Diophantine equation $x_1^2+x_2^2+\cdots+x_s^2 = n$. The authors connect $r_4(n)$ and $r_8(n)$ with ordinary integer partitions and partitions into distinct parts using a factorization theorem for Lambert series due to \textit{M. Merca} [Ramanujan J. 44, No. 2, 417--435 (2017; Zbl 1393.11066)]. For example, if $p_{e-o}(n)$ denotes the excess of the number of partitions of $n$ into an even number of parts over the number of them into an odd number of parts, and $S_{e-o}(n)$ denotes the difference of the sum of all even parts and the sum of all odd parts over all partitions of $n$ into distinct parts, then the authors prove that \[ r_4(n)=(-1)^n 8 \sum_{k=0}^n p_{e-o}(k)S_{e-o}(n-k). \] Similar convolutions may involve overpartition functions. Further, the authors also obtain a number of pentagonal recurrence formulas for $r_4(n)$ and $r_8(n)$.