On the sum of four cubes (Q4339980)

Let \(E(N)\) denote the number of positive integers not exceeding \(N\) that are not a sum of four cubes. Improving on earlier results of H.\ Davenport and R.\ C.\ Vaughan, \textit{J.\ Brüdern} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 109, 229-256 (1991; Zbl 0729.11046)] showed that \(E(N) \ll N^{37/42}\). More recently \textit{J. Brüdern} and \textit{N.\ Watt} [Duke Math J. 77, 583-606 (1995; Zbl 0828.11051)] considered the analogous problem for short intervals and showed that if \(M=N^\theta\) with \(\theta>{3 \over 4}\) then \(E(N+M)-E(N) \ll M^{1-\eta}\) with some \(\eta>0\). The author obtains the result when \(\theta > {1585 \over 2169} = 0.730 751\ldots \). However, while Brüdern and Watt obtained a lower bound \(\gg {\mathfrak S}(n)n^{1/3}\) for the number of representations of the numbers \(n\) in their theorem, this is not provided by the author's method, which draws on the iterative method of \textit{R. C. Vaughan} [Acta Math. 162, 1-71 (1989; Zbl 0665.10033)] and on its development by \textit{T. D. Wooley} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 135, 131-164 (1992; Zbl 0754.11026)].