Primes in arithmetic progressions to spaced moduli (Q5916186)

Let \(\Lambda\) and \(\varphi\) denote the von Mangoldt function and the Euler's totient function, respectively, and put \[ E(x;q,a)=\sum _{\substack{ n\leq x\\ n\equiv a\pmod q}} \Lambda(n)- \frac{x}{\varphi(q)}, \] for co-prime natural numbers \(q\) and \(a\). And let \(f\) be a polynomial of degree greater than 1, with integer coefficients and positive leading coefficient. Recently, \textit{P. D. T. A. Elliott} [``Primes in short arithmetic progressions with rapidly increasing differences'', Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 353, 2705--2724 (2001; Zbl 0987.11057)] proved that \[ \sum _{\substack{ k \\ 0<f(k)\leq x^{\theta}}} \frac{\varphi(f(k))}k\max_{(a,f(k))=1} | E(x;f(k),a)| \ll x(\log x)^{-A}, \] for any given \(A>0\) and \(\theta\) with \(0\leq\theta<1/4\), where the implicit constant may depend at most on \(A\), \(\theta\) and \(f\). In the paper under review, the authors establish the latter result for \(0\leq\theta<8/19\), substantially widening the admissible range for \(\theta\). The limit \(8/19\) comes from their treatment of what is called the type I sums, in connection with the work of \textit{H. Iwaniec} [``The Brun-Titchmarsh theorem'', J. Math. Soc. Japan 34, 95--123 (1982; Zbl 0486.10033)]. The authors also establish the corresponding result of the Barban-Davenport-Halberstam type. In fact, they prove, by using the circle method, that for any given \(A>0\), one has \[ \sum _{\substack{ k\\ 0<f(k)\leq x(\log x)^{-B}}} \frac{\varphi(f(k))}{k}\sum _{\substack{ 1\leq a\leq f(k)\\ (a,f(k))=1}} E(x;f(k),a))^2\ll x^2(\log x)^{-A}, \] where \(B=2^{\deg f}(A+5)+A+1\), and the implicit constant depends only on \(A\) and \(f\). The latter theorem plays an important role in estimation of the type II sums relevant to the proof of the former theorem of the authors.