On shifted primes with large prime factors and their products (Q5915979)

The author gives partial answers to two questions on shifted primes with large prime factors. To state these results let us start with some definitions. \textit{F. Luca} et al. [Bull. Belg. Math. Soc. - Simon Stevin 22, No. 1, 39--47 (2015; Zbl 1370.11110)] considered the following counting function: \[T_{\theta}(x):= |\{p\leq x: P^+(p-1)\geq p^{\theta}\}|,\] where \(P^+(n)\) denotes the largest prime factor of \(n\) with the convention that \(P^+(1)=1\). More generally, they also defined \[T_{k,\theta}(x):= \sum\limits_{\substack{p_1\dots p_k\leq x \\ P^+(\text{gcd}(p_1-1,\dots,p_k-1))\geq (p_1\dots p_k)^\theta}} 1,\] and proved that for fixed integer \(k\geq 2\) and real \(\theta\in [1/(2k), 17/(32k))\), the inequalities \[\frac{x^{1-\theta(k-1)}}{(\log x)^{k+1}}\ll_k T_{k,\theta}(x) \ll_k \frac{x^{1-\theta(k-1)}}{(\log x)^{2}}(\log \log x)^{k-1}\] hold as \(x \to \infty\), where the implied constants depend on \(k\). In this paper the author improves the lower bound to \[ \frac{x^{1-\theta(k-1)}}{(\log x)^{2}}\ll_k T_{k,\theta}(x). \] In [Acta Math. Sin., Engl. Ser. 33, No. 3, 377--382 (2017; Zbl 1426.11087)], \textit{F. J. Chen} and \textit{Y. G. Chen} defined, by a slight modification of \(T_{\theta}(x)\), the function \[T'_{\theta}(x):= |\{p\leq x: P^+(p-1)\geq x^{\theta}\},\] and wrote that ``Currently, we cannot give a proof of \[T_{\theta}(x)=T'_{\theta}(x)+o(\pi(x)).\] We believe that this is not really difficult.'' In this note the author confirms this by showing that indeed \[ T_{\theta}(x)=T'_{\theta}(x)+O\left(\pi(x)\frac{\log\log x}{\log x}\right). \] His proof uses the Brun-Titchmarsh inequality. Chen and Chen [loc. cit.] also conjectured that \(T_\theta(x)\sim (1-\rho(1/\theta))\pi(x)\) (as \(x\to \infty\)), where \(\rho(\theta)\) is the Dickman function. The author confirms this under the Elliott-Halberstam conjecture.