Rényi's problem in short intervals (Q856813)

As usual, let \(\Omega(n)\) denote the total number of prime factors and \(\omega(n)\) the number of distinct prime factors of \(n>1\), \(\Omega(1)= \omega(1)=0\). Rényi's problem consists of the problems related to \(n\) such that \(\Omega(n)-\omega(n) = q\), where \(q\) is a given non-negative integer. In particular it was proved by the reviewer [Math. Nachr. 101, 257--271 (1981; Zbl 0484.10028)] that, for a given \(q\geq0\), \[ \sum_{x<n\leq x+y,\Omega(n)-\omega(n) = q}1 = (d_q+o(1))y\qquad(x\to \infty)\leqno(1) \] for \(x\geq y \geq x^{105/407}\log^3x\). In the same range it was proved by \textit{J.-M. De Koninck} and \textit{A. Ivić} [``Topics in arithmetical functions'', Notas de Mat. 72, North-Holland (1980; Zbl 0442.10032)] that \[ \sum_{x<n\leq x+y,\Omega(n)-\omega(n) \neq 0}{1\over \Omega(n)-\omega(n)} = a_0y + o(y)\qquad(x\to\infty),\leqno(2) \] where \(d_q, a_0\,(>0)\) are explicit constants. The author succeeds in showing that the problem can be reduced to the problem of the distribution of square-free integers in short intervals. Thus by using the result of \textit{M. Filaseta} and \textit{O. Trifonov} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. 73, 241--278 (1996; Zbl 0867.11053)] the author is able to show that (1) and (2) hold in fact for \(y \geq x^{1/5+\varepsilon}\). This follows from his general results on additive functions of the form \[ G(n) = \sum_{p^\alpha| | n}g(\alpha)\qquad(n\geq2),\qquad G(1)=0, \] where \(g\) assumes non-negative integer values and \(g(1) = \ldots = g(k-1) =0, g(k) \neq0\). Thus for \(k = 2, g(n) = n-1\) we obtain \(G(n) = \Omega(n)-\omega(n)\). As in the aforementioned works of the reviewer, the main ingredient in the proofs is a suitable expression for \(H(x,z) := \sum_{x<n\leq x+y}z^{G(n)}\), where \(z\) is a complex number satisfying \(| z| \leq R\) for some \(R \,(>0)\). By differentiating and integrating the ensuing expression for \(H(x,z)\) (this is a polynomial in \(z\)) one obtains the results.