Biases in prime factorizations and Liouville functions for arithmetic progressions
Let \(\lambda(n)\) be the Liouville function, that is defined as \(\lambda(n) = (-1)^{\Omega(n)}\) where \(\Omega(n)\) is the total number of prime factors of the positive integer \(n\) (counting its multiplicity). It is well known that the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to the statement that \(L(x) := \sum_{n \le x} \lambda(n) = O_\varepsilon(x^{1/2+\varepsilon})\) for any \(\varepsilon > 0\), whereas the prime number theorem is equivalent to the estimate \(o(x)\). This paper introduces some refinements of the Liouville function which detect how primes in given arithmetic progressions appear in prime factorizations, and studies its average order. With this aim, let \(\Omega(n; q, a)\) be the number of prime factors of \(n\) congruent to \(a\) modulo \(q\), and \(\lambda(n; q, a) = (-1)^{\Omega(n; q, a)}\); then, a natural question is to ask for the asymptotic behavior of \(L(x; q, a) := \sum_{n \le x} \lambda(n; q, a)\). Yet more, the paper defines the \(r\)-fold products \[ \lambda(n ; q, a_{1}, \dots, a_{r}) = \prod_{i=1}^{r} \lambda(n ; q, a_{i}) \] where the \(a_i\) are distinct residue classes modulo \(q\), with \(1 \le r \le q\), and define \(\Omega(n;q,a_1,\dots,a_r)\) and \(L(x;q,a_1,\dots,a_r)\) analogously, and studies the order or \(L(x;q,a_1,\dots,a_r)\). For instance, it is shown that, for \(q \ge 2\) and \(a_1,\dots,a_{\varphi(q)}\) the residue classes modulo \(q\) such that \(\gcd(a_i,q) = 1\), we have \[ \sum_{n \leq x} \lambda(n ; q, a_{1}, \dots, a_{\varphi(q)}) = o(x) \] (and \(O_\varepsilon(x^{1/2+\varepsilon}\) if we assume the Riemann hypothesis). However, if \(b_1,\dots,b_{q-\varphi(q)}\) are the remaining residues classes modulo \(q\), and we take any subset of size \(k\), the asymptotic behavior of \(\sum_{n \leq x} \lambda(n ; q, b_{1}, \dots, b_{k})\) is different of what happens with \(a_{1}, \dots, a_{\varphi(q)}\). Moreover, supported by numerical tests, the paper analyzes analogues of Pólya's conjecture (i.e., that \(L(x) \le 0\) for \(x \ge 2\), that where disproved by Haselgrove in 1958), and proves results related to the sign changes of the associated summatory functions.
- A disproof of a conjecture of Pólya
- A property of the set of prime numbers
- Completely multiplicative functions taking values in ${-1,1}$
- Large bias for integers with prime factors in arithmetic progressions
- Limiting distributions of the classical error terms of prime number theory
- Linear relations of zeroes of the zeta-function
- Multiplicative functions in short intervals
- Multiplicative number theory. I. Classical theory
- On sums of multiplicative functions over numbers all of whose prime divisors belong to given arithmetic progressions
- On the constant in the Mertens product for arithmetic progressions. I: Identities
- On the constant in the Mertens product for arithmetic progressions. II: Numerical values
- On Two Conjectures in the Theory of Numbers
- Random matrix theory and the derivative of the Riemann zeta function
- Sign changes in sums of the Liouville function
- The distribution of \(k\)-free numbers and the derivative of the Riemann zeta-function
- The distribution of weighted sums of the Liouville function and Pólya's conjecture
- The Gaussian Law of Errors in the Theory of Additive Number Theoretic Functions
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