The distribution of numbers with many factorizations (Q2664683)

In the paper under review, the author studies the arithmetic function \(f(n)\) counting the number of ways of writing \(n\) as product of integers \(\geqslant 2\), where the order of the factors is not taken into account. This function was first introduced by \textit{P. A. MacMahon} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 22, 404--411 (1924; JFM 50.0083.02)], and its average order was discovered by \textit{A. Oppenheim} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 2, 123--130 (1927; JFM 53.0157.02)]. In this interesting work, the author first extends a previous result of \textit{E. R. Canfield} et al. [J. Number Theory 17, 1--28 (1983; Zbl 0513.10043)] by showing that, for fixed \(\varepsilon > 0\) and \(\alpha \in \left( 0,1 \right)\), there exists a real number \(x_0 = x_0(\varepsilon,\alpha) > 0\) such that, for all \(x > x_0\) and each subset \(S\) of \(\left[ 1,x \right] \cap \mathbb{Z}\) of cardinality \(|S| \leqslant x^{1-\alpha}\), we have \[\sum_{n \in S} f(n) \leqslant x \, \exp \left( (\varepsilon - \alpha) \frac{\log x \log_3 x}{\log_2 x}\right)\] where \(\log_k\) is the \(k\)-fold iterated logarithm. As a consequence, the author establishes an estimate for the moments \(\sum_{n \leqslant x} f(n)^\beta\) with \(\beta > 1\). Finally, the author investigates the more intricate case when \(0 < \beta < 1\). Using a completely different method, he proves that, when \(\beta \in \left( 0,1 \right)\) is fixed, then, for all \(x\) sufficiently large, the estimate \[\sum_{n \leqslant x} f(n)^\beta = x \, \exp \left( (1+o(1)) (1-\beta)^{\frac{1}{1-\beta}} \log_2 x \left( \frac{\log_2 x}{\log_3 x}\right)^{\frac{\beta}{1-\beta}}\right).\] holds. The lower bound uses the fact that, when \(n\) is squarefree with \(\omega(n) = k\), then \(f(n) = B_k\) the \(k\)th Bell number, so that \(\sum_{n \leqslant x} f(n)^\beta \geqslant B_k^\beta \pi_k (x)\), whereas the upper bound follows from an observation of Oppenheim along with some effective uniform bounds for powers of the Dirichlet-Piltz divisor \(\tau_z(n)\) proved by \textit{K. K. Norton} [J. Number Theory 40, No. 1, 60--85 (1992; Zbl 0748.11046)].