Diophantine approximation by cubes of primes and an almost prime (Q5928720)

Denote by \({\mathcal P}_r\) the set of integers having at most \(r\) prime divisors counted with multiplicities. Let \(\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_4\) be nonzero real numbers with \(\lambda_1/\lambda_2\) irrational, \(\delta\) be a sufficiently small and fixed positive real number, and let \(E(N)\) denote the Lebesgue measure of the set of real numbers \(\nu\in[-N,N]\) for which the inequality \[ |\lambda_1x_1^3+\lambda_2x_2^3+\lambda_3x_3^3+\lambda_4x_4^3 -\nu|<(\max|x_j|)^{-\delta} \] has no solution in \(x_1\in{\mathcal P}_6\) and primes \(x_2\), \(x_3\) and \(x_4\). The main goal of this paper is to prove that for some positive \(\eta\) depending at most on \(\delta\), there exist arbitrarily large values of \(N\) satisfying \(E(N)\ll N^{1-\eta}\). If, in addition, \(\lambda_1/\lambda_2\) is algebraic, then the latter estimate is established for all positive \(N\), by assistance of Roth's theorem on Diophantine approximation. With a little additional effort, it is further shown that if \(\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_8\) are nonzero real numbers with \(\lambda_1/\lambda_2\) irrational, then the values taken by the form \(\lambda_1x_1^3+\dots+\lambda_8x_8^3\) with \(x_1\in{\mathcal P}_6\) and primes \(x_j\) \((2\leq j\leq 8)\) are dense on the real line. These theorems are proved by combining the Davenport-Heilbronn method with a weighted linear sieve, and the author implies that this work is inspired by the corresponding work concerning the Waring-Goldbach problem for cubes due to \textit{J. Brüdern} [Ann. Sci. École Norm. Supér. (4) 28, 461-476 (1995; Zbl 0839.11045)]. Last year, the author gave the reviewer a preprint of his recent joint work with \textit{J. Brüdern} entitled ``Diophantine approximation by cubes of primes and an almost prime. II'', in which the above conclusions are established with \({\mathcal P}_3\) in the place of \({\mathcal P}_6\). According to the note added in proof, the latter collaboration will appear in Illinois J. Math.