On pseudo-random properties of \(P(n)\) and \(P(n+1)\) (Q5948356)

\textit{I. Mauduit} and \textit{A. Sárközy} [Acta Arith. 82, 365-377 (1997; Zbl 0886.11048)] introduced a notion of pseudo-randomness for binary sequences in a paper that was the begining of a series of papers with various coauthors testing this notion against several kinds of sequences, [see J. Number Theory 73, 256-276 (1998; Zbl 0916.11047), Acta Arith. 87, 367-390 (1999; Zbl 0920.11053), and Acta Arith. 95, 343-359 (2000; Zbl 0961.11026)]. In the paper under review, the author studies pseudo-randomness properties of the sequence \((f(n))_n\) defined by \(f(n)=\text{sgn}(P(n+1)-P(n))\), where \(P(n)\) is the largest prime factor of the integer \(n\). This gives the author the opportunity of revisiting analytic and probabilistic number theory, giving interesting results in the case where \(P\) is replaced by its truncations \(P_y\).