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7 votes
1 answer
276 views

From $\Lambda_k$ and $\Lambda$ to $\mu$ (or $\lambda$)

Let $\{a_n\}_{n=1}^\infty$, $a_n \in \mathbb{C}$, $|a_n|\leq 1$. Let $\Lambda_k = \mu \ast \log^k$; in particular, $\Lambda_1$ equals the von Mangoldt function $\Lambda$. Suppose that we have ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
  • 20.2k
4 votes
1 answer
286 views

Density of primes $p$ where $p-1$ has a prime factor exceeding $p^{2/3}$

Fouvry proved* that primes $p$ such that the greatest prime factor, $q$, of $p-1$ is greater than $p^{2/3}$ have positive density in the primes. (The sequence is A073024 in the OEIS.) Are there any ...
Charles's user avatar
  • 9,114
1 vote
0 answers
148 views

Counting prime factors of polynomial functions

Let $\Omega(n)$ denote the number of prime factors (counted with multiplicity) of a non-zero integer $n$. For $f \in \mathbb Z[X]$ non-zero, let $$m(f) = \liminf_{n \to \infty} \Omega(f(n))$$ (1) Is $...
Jens Reinhold's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
293 views

Best available bounds for $\pi(Y)-\pi(Y-X)$?

I don't know much (anything) about sieves, but as I read the section on the Selberg upper bound sieve from Greaves's Sieves in Number Theory, there is a theorem 4 which says that If $Y\ge X \ge 2$, ...
user859588's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
214 views

Remainder terms of congruence sums in sets of positive density

Let $\mathcal{A} \subset \mathbb{N}$ be an infinite sequence with positive density, in the sense that $$ \tag{1} \lim_{x\to\infty} \frac{|\mathcal{A} \cap x|}{x} = c > 0, $$ and define the ...
Joshua Stucky's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
350 views

Are there are any attempts utilising sieve theory to attack the general $a p \pm 1$ problem?

It is currently an open question if there are infinitely many primes $p$ such that $2p + 1$ is prime (Sophie Germain primes) or that at least one of $24p \pm 1$ is prime. Could Zhang's method, or the ...
KStar's user avatar
  • 533
3 votes
2 answers
465 views

Least number coprime to a given integer

For a positive integer $n$ let $$f(n):=\min\{m\in \mathbb N: m>1, \gcd(m,n)=1\} .$$ Equivalently, $f(n) $ is the smallest prime not dividing $n$. Is there any upper bound literature for this? It is ...
Dr. Pi's user avatar
  • 3,062
3 votes
0 answers
232 views

Numbers made up of primes from a given set

Take a set $\mathcal P$ of primes and denote by $\langle \mathcal P\rangle $ the set of all natural numbers composed of primes from $\mathcal P$. If \[ \sum _{p\in \mathcal P}\frac {1}{p}\] converges ...
tomos's user avatar
  • 1,381
5 votes
0 answers
326 views

Counting primes, twin primes, cousin primes: unusual approach, connection to some conjectures

I am investigating the following sieve-like algorithm. Let $S_N=\{1,\dots,N\}$. For all primes $p$ with $p_0\leq p \leq M$, we remove from $S_N$ the following elements: all numbers $n\in S_N$ such ...
Vincent Granville's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
777 views

Large sieve inequality for sparse trigonometric polynomials

Let $S(\alpha) = \sum_{n\leq N}f(n) e^{2\pi i \alpha n}$ for some arithmetic function $f$. Suppose $\alpha_1, \ldots, \alpha_R$ are real numbers that are $\delta$-spaced modulo $1$, for some $0 < \...
user152169's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
252 views

Counting twin primes with a sieve-like algorithm

The sequence A002822, denoted as $S$, represents all the twin primes except $\{3, 5\}$. Other than that exception, $k$ and $k+2$ are twin primes iff $(k+1)/6\in S$. Let $S(N)$ be the subset of $S$ ...
Vincent Granville's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
258 views

A number theoretical identity of exponential sum

I try to understand a number theoretical identity used by Jan-Christoph Schlage-Puchta in this answer. He defined the function $$S(\alpha)=\sum_{n\leq N}\Lambda(n) e(n\alpha)$$ where $\Lambda(n)$ is ...
user267839's user avatar
  • 6,028
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the significance of Friedlander-Iwaniec and related theorems?

On p.177 of Number Theory Revealed: A Masterclass by Andrew Granville, the author states that "One can ask for prime values of polynomials in two or more variables." (though he later ...
Favst's user avatar
  • 2,075
3 votes
1 answer
686 views

Use of weights in the GPY's and Tao-Maynard's work on the twin prime conjecture

I am going through James Maynard's paper, Small Gaps between Primes, and have a number of questions regarding his approach. First, I am wondering why uses weights in his approach. While I generally ...
Sultan Aitzhan's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
356 views

Some questions about some examples in "sieve methods" in the book "Opera de Cribro" by Friedlander and Iwaniec

I am reading the book "Opera de Cribro - John B. Friedlander, Henryk Iwaniec" and in pages 5,6 I do not understand why and how they chose $X$, $A(x)$, $A_d(x)$, $g(p)$ and $r_d(x)$. any hints will be ...
asad's user avatar
  • 841
6 votes
0 answers
233 views

admissible tuples vs. prime tuples

Let $\rho^\ast(x)$ denote the maximal length of an admissible sequence in $[1,x]$, i.e. of a sequence which does not cover all the residue classes modulo any $n\geq 2$. Hensley and Richards (1974) ...
GH from MO's user avatar
  • 105k
3 votes
1 answer
356 views

Squarefree values of polynomials at prime arguments

This is a reference request. Assume that $f_1,\ldots,f_r \in \mathbb{Z}[t]$ are non-zero linear polynomial. Letting $\mu$ be the M\"{o}bius function, is there any work on $$ \sum_{p\leq x} \prod_{i=...
Dr. Pi's user avatar
  • 3,062
4 votes
1 answer
234 views

Shifted primes avoiding a set of divisors

Let $B$ be a set of positive integers such that $\sum_{b \in B} 1 / \varphi(b) < +\infty$, where $\varphi(\cdot)$ is the Euler's totient function. For any $y > 0$ put $$\delta_y := \limsup_{x \...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
186 views

A sieve with two parameters

I am in need of a (relatively) general sieve with two parameters $y, z$. I am quite sure that on the literature there must be some result of the kind that I have in mind, probably a corollary of the ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
203 views

Best bound on $p, p+2k$ with $k$ fixed

Given some integer $k>0$, there are $O(x/\log^2 x)$ primes $p \le x$ such that $p+2k$ is also prime. It has been conjectured at least since Hardy-Littlewood that $$ \pi_{2k}(x) \sim c_{2k}\int_2^x\...
Charles's user avatar
  • 9,114
4 votes
0 answers
163 views

Large Gaps Between Almost Primes

What is the best lower bound for the longest interval contained in $[1,x]$ free of primes and products of two primes? In other words I am asking for the best lower bounds in a variant of the ...
George Shakan's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
319 views

Evolution of partial sum of a sequence of induced Dirichlet characters

Let's consider the Dirichlet Character $\chi_3(n)$ modulo 3 given by $\chi_3(1)=1$, $\chi_3(2)=-1$ and $\chi_3(3)=\chi_3(0)=0$. Lets consider the sequence of induced characters $\chi^{P_N} $ obtained ...
Bertrand's user avatar
  • 1,199
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why do the Maynard-Tao weights work so well?

I am looking for an intuitive reason for why the Maynard-Tao weights work well to capture many primes of the form $n+h_1, \ldots , n+h_k$, where $(h_1, \ldots , h_k)$ is any admissible $k$-tuple. For ...
George Shakan's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
840 views

Upper bound for the first Hardy-Littlewood conjecture

About the Hardy-Littlewood conjecture by Terence Tao: Conjecture 2 (Prime tuples conjecture, quantitative form) Let ${k_0 \geq 1}$ be a fixed natural number, and let ${{\mathcal H}}$ be a fixed ...
Alexey Milovanov's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
1k views

Elementary Proof of Infinitely many primes $\mathfrak{p} \in \mathbb{Z}[i]$ in the sector $\theta < \arg \mathfrak{p} <\phi $

A quick look at the primes in $\mathbb{Z}[i]$ suggests they might be evenly distributed by angle if we zoom out on a coarse enough scale. I would like ask about the much weaker statement forgetting ...
john mangual's user avatar
  • 22.8k
4 votes
1 answer
951 views

Number of twin primes

Consider number of twin primes less than $x$. We know that this number less than $\frac{Cx}{\log^2 x}$ for some constant $C$. Denote by $p_n$ the $n$-th prime number. Do we have the same result ...
Alexey Milovanov's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
505 views

$x^2+1$ attaining almost prime values

Iwaniec, using the linear sieve, proved that $n^2+1$ can be a product of at most two primes infinitely often and furthermore a lower bound of the correct order of magnitude for the number of such ...
Dr. Pi's user avatar
  • 3,062
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does the Maynard-Tao Theorem apply to general tuples of linear forms?

In the paper http://arxiv.org/pdf/1311.5319v1.pdf the author states the following theorem, which he attributes to Maynard and Tao. For any integer $m > 2$, there exists an integer $k = k(m)$ such ...
anon's user avatar
  • 303
12 votes
0 answers
628 views

Sieve bound for prime $k$-tuples

Let $d_1<d_2<\dots<d_k$ be integers. Then the number of integers $n\leq x$, such that $n+d_1, n+d_2, \ldots, n+d_k$ are simultaneously prime, is bounded above by $$ \mathfrak{S}(d_1, \ldots, ...
Jan-Christoph Schlage-Puchta's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
455 views

Large gaps between P2s

Gaps between consecutive primes are $O(n^{\theta+\varepsilon})$ for $\theta=0.525$ and any $\varepsilon>0.$ I was wondering if a better result is known for gaps between numbers with at most two ...
Charles's user avatar
  • 9,114