No label defined (Q4234472)

The author considers the mean values \(M_n(f)=(1/n)\sum_{m\leq n}f(m)\), where \(f\) is a complex-valued multiplicative function with \(|f|\leq 1\). Heuristic arguments suggest that \(M_n(f)\) should be close to the product \(P_n(f)=\prod_{p\leq n}(1-1/p)(1+ \sum_{k=1}^\infty f(p^k)p^{-k})\), and this is known to be the case if, for example, \(f(p)\) is sufficiently close to \(1\), in an appropriate average sense. In the paper under review, the author gives a more precise estimate for \(M_n(f)\) of the form \[ M_n(f)=(1+S_N) P_n(f) + \text{Error}, \] where \[ S_N= -\sum_{m=2}^N{1\over m!}\sum_{k=2}^m{m\choose k} L_k(-L)^{m-k}, \] \[ L=\sum_{p\leq n}{f(p)-1\over p},\quad L_k=\sum_{p_1,\ldots,p_k\leq n\atop p_1\cdots p_k>n} {(f(p_1)-1)\cdots (f(p_k)-1)\over p_1\cdots p_k}. \] Here \(N\) is any fixed integer \(\geq 2\), and the error term depends on \(N\), \(\text{ Re} L\), and the size of \(\sum_{y\leq p\leq n}|f(p)-1|^\gamma/p\), where \(\gamma>1\) is a given real number and \(y=y(n)\) a function satisfying \(\log\log y = o(\log \log n)\). The result is deduced from an earlier result of the author [Lith. Math. J. 33, 243-254 (1993; Zbl 0829.11041)], which gives an estimate of similar type for \(M_n(f)\), but with \(S_N\) replaced by a sum over certain complex integrals. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0896.00021].