Divisor weighted sums (Q558755)

Let \(\{a_n\}\) be a sequence of nonnegative real numbers and for a fixed natural number \(r\geq2\) let \(\tau_r(n)\) be the divisor function whose generating function is \(\zeta(s)^r\). Set \(A(x)=\sum_{n\leq x}a_n\) and \(D_r(x)=\sum_{n\leq x}\tau_r(n)a_n\). It is well known that the average value of \(\tau_r(n)\) is of order \((\log n)^{r-1}\), which leads one to expect that the bound \(D_r(x)\ll A(x)(\log x)^{r-1}\) holds for wide range of sequences \(a_n\). The introduction to the paper under review surveys the problem of obtaining upper bounds for \(D_r(x)\) in terms of the summatory function \(A(x)\). The primary focus is on sequences \(a_n\) which are distributed sufficiently well on arithmetic progressions 0 modulo \(d\), with the prototypical condition \[ \sum_{\substack{ n\leq x\\n\equiv0\pmod d}} a_n\ll\frac1dA(x)\tag{\(\ast\)} \] guiding the estimates. The key parameter here is the range \(d\leq D_x\) of applicability of this condition and many interesting sequences may be expected to satisfy (\(\ast\)) or its appropriate generalization in a corresponding range \(d\leq D_x\). The survey ends with the discussion of sequences \(a_n\) satisfying \(A(x)\ll x^{1-\delta}\), \(0<\delta<1\). For such sequences the appropriate range in the condition (\(\ast\)) is \(d\leq x^{\epsilon}\), which is too restrictive for the existing methods of estimating \(D_r(x)\). To overcome this difficulty the authors establish the following two estimates for the divisor function \(\tau_r(n)\). It is shown that for every \(k\geq2\), any natural number \(n\) has a divisor \(d\) satisfying \(d\leq n^{1/k}\) such that \[ \tau_r(n)\leq(2\tau(d))^{(r-1)k\log k/\log2}. \] Furthermore, for squarefree \(n\) the stronger bound \[ \tau_r(n)\leq k^{(k\log r)^2}\sum_{\substack{ d\mid n\\d\leq n^{1/k}}} f(d) \] holds, where \(f(d)\) is a multiplicative function with the value \(f(p)=r^k/k\) on primes. It is also shown that the latter bound does not hold if the value \(r^k/k\) is replaced by \(e^{-1}r^k/k\). Returning to \(D_r(x)\), the authors are now able to handle sequences \(a_n\) satisfying (\(\ast\)) and somewhat more general conditions in the range \(d\leq x^{1/k}\). For such sequences they obtain the bound \(D_r(x)\ll A(x)(\log x)^B\), with \(B=k^{(r-1)k}\). Moreover, if, in addition, the sequence \(a_n\) is supported on squarefree numbers only, then the same estimate holds with \(B=r^k/k\).