Number of prime divisors and subgroup chains (Q582322)

Let \(\Omega\) (n) be the number of primes dividing n counting multiplicities. The paper studies the behaviour of \(\Omega\) (f(p)), where f(x) is some fixed polynomial with integer coefficients and p varies over the primes. The following is obtained. Theorem. Suppose \(f_ 1(x),...,f_ n(x)\in {\mathbb{Z}}[x]\) are primitive, non-constant, with \(f_ i(0)\neq 0\). Suppose further that \(f_ i(x)\) does not divide any power of the lowest common multiple of \(f_ 1(x),...,f_{i-1}(x)\) for \(i=2,...,n\). Let \(a_ 2,...,a_ n>0\) and let \(K>0\). Then there exists a prime p such that \(\Omega (f_ 1(p))>K\) and \[ \Omega (f_ i(p))-a_ i\Omega (f_{i-1}(p))>K\quad for\quad i=2,...,n. \] In addition, \(\lim_{n\to \infty}(\Omega (q^ n-1)/n)=0\) for every \(q>1\) and integer is proved. As a consequence one obtains that although the length of the longest chain of subgroups of \(PSL(2,p_ n)\) is asymptotically (for n) \(n+\Omega (p^ n-1)\) for all odd p, for every n and K there exists a prime p for which the longest chain of subgroups of \(PSL(2,p^ n)\) is longer than \(n+\Omega (p^ n-1)+K\).