Localized factorizations of integers

We determine the order of magnitude of H^{(k+1)}(x,\vec{y},2\vec{y}), the number of integers up to x that are divisible by a product d_1...d_k with y_i<d_i\le 2y_i, when the numbers \log y_1,...,\log y_k have the same order of magnitude and k\ge 2. This generalizes a result by K. Ford when k=1. As a corollary of these bounds, we determine the number of elements up to multiplicative constants that appear in a (k+1)-dimensional multiplication table as well as how many distinct sums of k+1 Farey fractions there are modulo 1.Comment: 34 pages. Added reference [10] to a paper of Nair and Tenenbaum which contains a result similar to Lemma 2.2 and which appeared prior to the publication of this paper. Simplified the proof of Lemma 2.2 using ideas from [10]. Removed part (a) of Lemma 2.2, as it is now redundant. Version 5 remains the published versio

Primes in short arithmetic progressions

Let $x,h$ and $Q$ be three parameters. We show that, for most moduli $q\le Q$ and for most positive real numbers $y\le x$, every reduced arithmetic progression $a\mod q$ has approximately the expected number of primes $p$ from the interval $(y,y+h]$, provided that $h>x^{1/6+\epsilon}$ and $Q$ satisfies appropriate bounds in terms of $h$ and $x$. Moreover, we prove that, for most moduli $q\le Q$ and for most positive real numbers $y\le x$, there is at least one prime $p\in(y,y+h]$ lying in every reduced arithmetic progression $a\mod q$, provided that $1\le Q^2\le h/x^{1/15+\epsilon}$.Comment: 21 pages. Final version, published in IJNT. Some minor change

On the number of integers in a generalized multiplication table

Motivated by the Erdos multiplication table problem we study the following question: Given numbers N_1,...,N_{k+1}, how many distinct products of the form n_1...n_{k+1} with n_i<N_i for all i are there? Call A_{k+1}(N_1,...,N_{k+1}) the quantity in question. Ford established the order of magnitude of A_2(N_1,N_2) and the author of A_{k+1}(N,...,N) for all k>1. In the present paper we generalize these results by establishing the order of magnitude of A_{k+1}(N_1,...,N_{k+1}) for arbitrary choices of N_1,...,N_{k+1} when k is 2,3,4 or 5. Moreover, we obtain a partial answer to our question when k>5. Lastly, we develop a heuristic argument which explains why the limitation of our method is k=5 in general and we suggest ways of improving the results of this paper.Comment: 65 pages. Minor changes. To appear at J. Reine Angew. Math. The final publication is available at www.reference-global.co

Beyond the LSD method for the partial sums of multiplicative functions

The Landau-Selberg-Delange (LSD) method gives an asymptotic formula for the partial sums of a multiplicative function $f$ whose prime values are $\alpha$ on average. In the literature, the average is usually taken to be $\alpha$ with a very strong error term, leading to an asymptotic formula for the partial sums with a very strong error term. In practice, the average at the prime values may only be known with a fairly weak error term, and so we explore here how good an estimate this will imply for the partial sums of $f$, developing new techniques to do so.Comment: Addressed referee's comments; added some references; corrected and simplified the proof of Theorem 9. 26 page

Divisors of shifted primes

We bound from below the number of shifted primes p+s<x that have a divisor in a given interval (y,z]. Kevin Ford has obtained upper bounds of the expected order of magnitude on this quantity as well as lower bounds in a special case of the parameters y and z. We supply here the corresponding lower bounds in a broad range of the parameters y and z. As expected, these bounds depend heavily on our knowledge about primes in arithmetic progressions. As an application of these bounds, we determine the number of shifted primes that appear in a multiplication table up to multiplicative constants.Comment: 33 pages. To appear in Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN. Fixed a small mistake in the proof of Lemma 2.5 and made stylistic change

Rational approximations of irrational numbers

Given quantities $\Delta_1,\Delta_2,\dots\geqslant 0$, a fundamental problem in Diophantine approximation is to understand which irrational numbers $x$ have infinitely many reduced rational approximations $a/q$ such that $|x-a/q|<\Delta_q$. Depending on the choice of $\Delta_q$ and of $x$, this question may be very hard. However, Duffin and Schaeffer conjectured in 1941 that if we assume a "metric" point of view, the question is governed by a simple zero--one law: writing $\varphi$ for Euler's totient function, we either have $\sum_{q=1}^\infty \varphi(q)\Delta_q=\infty$ and then almost all irrational numbers (in the Lebesgue sense) are approximable, or $\sum_{q=1}^\infty\varphi(q)\Delta_q<\infty$ and almost no irrationals are approximable. We present the history of the Duffin--Schaeffer conjecture and the main ideas behind the recent work of Koukoulopoulos--Maynard that settled it.Comment: Corrected a couple of inaccuracies in the version to be published in the Proceedings of the 2022 IC

On the concentration of certain additive functions

We study the concentration of the distribution of an additive function, when the sequence of prime values of $f$ decays fast and has good spacing properties. In particular, we prove a conjecture by Erdos and Katai on the concentration of $f(n)=\sum_{p|n}(\log p)^{-c}$ when $c>1$.Comment: 17 pages. Final version. To appear in Acta Arit

Sieve weights and their smoothings

We obtain asymptotic formulas for the $2k$th moments of partially smoothed divisor sums of the M\"obius function. When $2k$ is small compared with $A$, the level of smoothing, then the main contribution to the moments come from integers with only large prime factors, as one would hope for in sieve weights. However if $2k$ is any larger, compared with $A$, then the main contribution to the moments come from integers with quite a few prime factors, which is not the intention when designing sieve weights. The threshold for "small" occurs when $A=\frac 1{2k} \binom{2k}{k}-1$. One can ask analogous questions for polynomials over finite fields and for permutations, and in these cases the moments behave rather differently, with even less cancellation in the divisor sums. We give, we hope, a plausible explanation for this phenomenon, by studying the analogous sums for Dirichlet characters, and obtaining each type of behaviour depending on whether or not the character is "exceptional".Comment: Final version, 85 pages, to appear in Ann. Sci. \'Ec. Norm. Sup\'er.. Added abstract in French and made several minor changes compared to the previous versio