Mean values of multiplicative functions (Q6390603)

The author proves several theorems of Halász type on the asymptotic behavior of the sums \(\sum_{n\leq x}f(n)\) of a multiplicative function f. The principal assumptions on f are some mild growth conditions on the values \(f(p^ r)\) and an estimate of the form \[ \frac{1}{\log x}\sum_{p^ r\leq x}\frac{| f(p^ r)| \log p^ r}{p^ r}\leq \frac{1}{\log x}\sum_{p^ r\leq x}\frac{h(p^ r)\log p^ r}{p^ r}+O(\frac{1}{(\log \log x)^{1+\epsilon}}), \] where \(\epsilon\) is a fixed positive number and h is a nonnegative multiplicative function that is sufficiently well-behaved on prime powers. The conclusion is an asymptotic formula \(\sum_{n\leq x}f(n)=o(\frac{x}{\log x}\prod_{p\leq x}(1+\sum_{r\leq \log x/\log p}\frac{h(p^ r)}{p^ r}))\) if the series \(\sum_{p^ r}(h(p^ r)-Re f(p^ r)p^{-irt})p^{-r}\) diverges for every real t, and a similar formula containing a main term in case the above series converges for some t. The main feature of the author's result is that they allow the values of f on higher prime powers to be much larger than in previous results of this type.