The spectrum of multiplicative functions

DOI10.2307/2661346MaRDI QIDQ5939482zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Andrew Granville, Kannan Soundararajan

Publication date 7 January 2004

Published in Annals of Mathematics. Second Series (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/math/9909190

\(m\)th power residues Euler product integral equations

Power residues, reciprocity (11A15) Estimates on character sums (11L40) Asymptotic results on arithmetic functions (11N37)

Abstract: Let S be a subset of the unit disk, and let F(s) denote the class of completely multiplicative functions f such that f(p) is in S for all primes p. The authors' main concern is which numbers arise as mean-values of functions in F(s). More precisely, let Gamma_N(S) = {1/N sum_{n <= N} f(n): f in F(S)} and Gamma(S) = lim_{N -> infinity} Gamma_N(s). The authors call Gamma(S) the spectrum of the set S, and study its properties.

Review text

Let \(S\) be a subset of the unit disc \(U\) and \({\mathcal F}(S)\) denote the set of completely multiplicative functions \(f\) with \(f(p)\in S\) for all primes \(p\). Define NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\Gamma_N(S)= \left\{N^{-1} \sum_{n\leq N}f(n): f \in{\mathcal F}(S)\right\},\;\Gamma(S)= \lim_{N\to\infty} \Gamma_N(S),NEWLINE\]NEWLINE where \(z\in\Gamma(S)\) means that \(z_N\to z\) as \(N\to\infty\) with \(z_N\in\Gamma_N(S)\). The set \(\Gamma(S)\) is called the spectrum of \(S\), and the aim of this important, wide ranging, comprehensive and clearly written paper is to study \(\Gamma(S)\). It can be assumed that \(1\in S\) and that \(S\) is closed; for \(\Gamma(S)=\{0\}\) if \(1\notin S\), and \(\Gamma (\overline S)=\Gamma(S)\).NEWLINENEWLINEIn [Proc. Edinb. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 39, 581--588 (1996; Zbl 0876.11045)], \textit{R. R. Hall} proved that for real-valued \(f\in{\mathcal F}([-1,1])= {\mathcal F}\), \(c=\inf\{x^{-1}\sum_{n \leq x}f(n):x\geq 1, \;f\in{\mathcal F}\}>-1\). Using the example that for \(q\) prime \(f(q)=\begin{cases} 1 & \text{ for } q\leq x^{1/(1+\sqrt e)}\\ -1& \text{ for }x^{1/(1+\sqrt e)}\leq q\leq x\end{cases}\) he showed that \(c\leq \delta_1\) where \(\delta_1=- 0.656999\dots\), and conjectured that \(c= \delta_1\), as did H. L. Montgomery independently. In the current paper, the authors prove this conjecture by showing that \(\Gamma([-1,1])\) is the interval \([\delta_1,1]\).NEWLINENEWLINEFor other closed sets \(S\subseteq U\) with \(1\in S\), the structure of the spectrum of \(S\) is more complicated and less well understood. The authors investigate this structure and show that \(\Gamma (S)\) may be described in terms of Euler products and solutions of certain integral equations. For \(f\in{\mathcal F}(S)\), let NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\Theta(f,x)= \prod_{p \leq x}\left( 1+ \frac {f(p)}{p} +\frac{f(p^2)} {p^2}+\dots \right) \left(1-\frac 1p \right);NEWLINE\]NEWLINE then \(\Theta (f,x) \in\Gamma(S)\) for all \(x\). Let \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)= \lim_{x\to \infty} \{\Theta(f,x): f\in{\mathcal F}(S)\}\), which is a closed subset of \(\Gamma (S)\) called the Euler product of the spectrum of \(S\). If \(f\) has a mean value \(\Theta(f, \infty)\), then \(\Theta(f,\infty) \in\Gamma(S)\). Conditions under which a function \(f\in{\mathcal F}(S)\), \(S\subseteq U\), has a mean value have been established by several authors, including A. Wintner, E. Wirsing, G. Halász, and Corollary 2 of this paper provides another answer to this problem. For \(V \subseteq U\), the angle of \(V\) is defined by NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\text{Ang} (V)= \sup\{ |\arg(1-v) |:v \in V,\;v\neq 1\};NEWLINE\]NEWLINE the authors deduce that if \(\text{Ang}(S)<\frac {\pi}{2}\), then every \(f\in{\mathcal F}(S)\) has a mean value and \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)= \{\Theta(f, \infty):f\in{\mathcal F}(S)\}\).NEWLINENEWLINEIn general, and even in the case \(S=[-1,1]\), \(\Gamma (S)\) contains elements not in \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)\). To each member of a certain class of measurable functions taking values in the convex hull of \(S\) is associated the solution \(\sigma:[0,\infty)\to U\) of a given integral equation; let \(\Lambda(S)\) consist of all elements \(\sigma(u)\). For \(J,K \subseteq U\), let \(J\times K=\{jk:j\in J\), \(k\in K\}\). The authors establish the structure theorem \(\Gamma(S)= \Gamma_\theta(S) \times\Lambda (S)\) for any closed subset \(S\subseteq U\) with \(1\in S\). They also derive several other results that throw further light on the sets \(\Gamma(S)\), \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)\), \(\Lambda(S)\); these involve another set \({\mathcal E}(S)\) consisting of `spirals' connecting 1 to 0. In particular the authors deduce from more general results that \(\Gamma(S)\) is connected and that, if the convex hull of \(S\) contains a real point other than 1, then \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)={\mathcal E}(S)\), \(\Gamma_\Theta(S)\) and \(\Gamma (S)\) are starlike, and \(\Gamma(S)= \Lambda(S)\). They conjecture that the sets \(S\), \(\Gamma (S)\) have the same angle, and Theorem 6 supports this conjecture when the angle of \(S\) is near 0 or \(\frac{\pi} {2}\).NEWLINENEWLINEOther sections of the paper concern \(m\)th power residues, in particular quadratic residues, and generalizations of the spectrum, for example to the logarithmic spectrum. The proofs use a variety of techniques, and the pathway to establishing each main result is described at the end of section 1.

Recommendations

Cited in

(26)

This page was built for publication: The spectrum of multiplicative functions

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q5939482)