On a problem of the Goldbach-waring type (Q4397384)

Let \(E(x)\) be the number of even natural numbers \(n\) up to \(x\) that cannot be represented in the form \[ n=p^2_1+ p^3_2+ p^4_3+ p^5_4 \] with prime numbers \(p_j\). \textit{K. Prachar} showed that \(E(x)\ll x(\log x)^{-c}\) for some positive constant \(c\) [Monatsh. Math. 57, 66-74 (1953; Zbl 0050.04003)]. The author improves the latter result by establishing the existence of a positive real number \(\delta\) such that \(E(x)\ll x^{1- \delta}\). From a philosophical point of view, the proof follows the work of \textit{H. L. Montgomery} and \textit{R. C. Vaughan} on the exceptional set in Goldbach's problem [Acta Arith. 27, 353-370 (1975; Zbl 0301.10043)], and relies upon \textit{P. Gallagher}'s density estimate concerning the Deuring-Heilbronn phenomenon [Invent. Math. 11, 329-339 (1970; Zbl 0219.10048)]. In practice, however, the evaluation for the contribution from the major arcs is considerably complicated, and requires much work to handle it adequately. The proof is written in a smart form.