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Let $x >0$. How can one find good $O$ bounds on the integrals $$\int_0^x\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t}dt$$ and $$\int_x^\infty\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t^2}dt$$ where $\pi(x)$ is the prime counting function and $\operatorname{li}(x) = \int_0^x \frac{1}{\log t}dt$ is the logarithmic integral, and where all Cauchy principal values are assumed? I'm looking for better bounds than can be deduced from the prime number theorem with error bound. In particular, I'm hoping that the first integral is $O\left(\frac{\sqrt{x}\log \log \log x}{\log x}\right)$ and the second integral is $O\left(\frac{\log \log \log x}{\sqrt{x}\log x }\right)$, unconditionally. Is this correct?


Note that $$\int_1^\infty \frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t^{2}} dt = \gamma -M = 0.315718452053\ldots,$$ $$\int_0^1\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t}dt = -1,$$ and $$\int_0^\mu\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t}dt = -\mu,$$ where ${M=\lim _{n\rightarrow \infty }\left(\sum _{p\leq n}{\frac {1}{p}}-\log \log n\right)} = 0.261497212847\ldots$ is the Meissel-Mertens constant and $\mu = 1.451369234883\ldots$ is the Ramanujan-Soldner constant (i.e., the unique positive zero of $\operatorname{li}(x)$). Obvious $O$ bounds from the 1899 prime number theorem with error bound, for example, are $$\int_0^x\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t}dt = O\left(xe^{-c\sqrt{\log x}}\right) \ (x \to \infty)$$ and $$\int_x^\infty\frac{\operatorname{li}(t)-\pi(t)}{t^2}dt= O\left(e^{-c\sqrt{\log x}}\right) \ (x \to \infty),$$ for some $c > 0$, but I'm hoping that one can do much better than any prime number theorem by exploiting the oscillation of $\operatorname{li}(x)-\pi(x)$.

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    $\begingroup$ You can get some easy estimates by using any version of PNT with an error term. I suspect thanks to cancellation better unconditional bounds should be possible though. $\endgroup$
    – Wojowu
    Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 12:43
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    $\begingroup$ I figured that. I'm looking for better bounds than that exploiting cancellation of some sort. I edited the question to account for that. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 13, 2021 at 12:52
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    $\begingroup$ That first integral $\int_1^\infty(\pi(t)-\text{li}(t))dt/t^2=\gamma-M$ is really neat! Do you have a reference for that result? $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 30, 2021 at 10:06
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    $\begingroup$ @DanielJohnston No, I don't, it was just something I deduced while writing a book on analytic number theory, which is almost completed now. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 1, 2021 at 12:18

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You can find a survey of similar results in the paper (Russian) S. B. Stechkin, A. Yu. Popov, “The asymptotic distribution of prime numbers on the average”, Uspekhi Mat. Nauk, 51:6(312) (1996), 21–88, English translation S. B. Stechkin and A. Yu Popov, Russ. Math. Surv. 51 (1996), pp. 1025-1092.

In the beginning they introduce functions $R(x)=\psi(x)-x$ and $R_1(x)=\int_0^x R(u) du$. After that they mention some results concerning asymptotic behaviour of these functions.

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  • $\begingroup$ I'm waiting on the English translation from the library, but I've scanned the paper several times and don't see any estimates yet that might help resolve the issue. Do you have any in particular in mind? $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 14, 2021 at 5:15
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    $\begingroup$ The paper doesn't seem to concern the exact integrals you are after, but it does mention the integral $R_1(x)=\int_0^x(\pi(x)-li(x))dx$, and it seems to imply there is no power saving - if $\Theta$ is the supremum of real parts of zeros, then $R_1(x)=\Omega_\pm(x^{1+\Theta-\varepsilon})$ for all $\varepsilon>0$, in particular $R_1(x)=O(x^{3/2+\varepsilon})$ implies Riemann hypothesis. I suspect similar results might hold for the integrals you ask about. $\endgroup$
    – Wojowu
    Commented Sep 14, 2021 at 10:04
  • $\begingroup$ @JesseElliott I have added a couple of lines in my answer. $\endgroup$ Commented Sep 15, 2021 at 6:20

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