The Nicolas and Robin inequalities with sums of two squares

In 1984, G. Robin proved that the Riemann hypothesis is true if and only if the Robin inequality σ(n) < e ^γ n log log n holds for every integer n > 5040, where σ(n) is the sum of divisors function, and γ is the Euler–Mascheroni constant. We exhibit a broad class of subsets of the natural numbers such that the Robin inequality holds for all but finitely many . As a special case, we determine the finitely many numbers of the form n = a ² + b ² that do not satisfy the Robin inequality. In fact, we prove our assertions with the Nicolas inequality n/φ(n) < e ^γ log log n; since σ(n)/n < n/φ(n) for n > 1 our results for the Robin inequality follow at once.      

The Nicolas and Robin inequalities with sums of two squares

In 1984, G. Robin proved that the Riemann hypothesis is true if and only if the Robin inequality σ(n) < e ^γ n log log n holds for every integer n > 5040, where σ(n) is the sum of divisors function, and γ is the Euler–Mascheroni constant. We exhibit a broad class of subsets S{\mathcal {S}} of the natural numbers such that the Robin inequality holds for all but finitely many n ? S{n \in \mathcal {S}} . As a special case, we determine the finitely many numbers of the form n = a ² + b ² that do not satisfy the Robin inequality. In fact, we prove our assertions with the Nicolas inequality n/φ(n) < e ^γ log log n; since σ(n)/n < n/φ(n) for n > 1 our results for the Robin inequality follow at once.     

On the number of y-smooth natural numbers ≤x representable as a sum of two integer squares

LetB(x,y) be the sum taken over alln, 1≤n≤x, such that n can be represented as a sum of two squares of integers andn has no prime factors exceedingy. It is shown foru smaller than about .5log logx/log log logx thatB(x,x ^1/u)≈cxlog^-1/2 xσ(u), where σ(u satisfies a delay differential equation similar to the one satisfied by the Dickman function andc is a positive constant.     

Around Pelikán’s conjecture on very odd sequences

Very odd sequences were introduced in 1973 by Pelikán who conjectured that there were none of length 5. This conjecture was disproved first by MacWilliams and Odlyzko [17] in 1977 and then by two different sets of authors in 1992 [1], 1995 [9]. We give connections with duadic codes, cyclic difference sets, levels (Stufen) of cyclotomic fields, and derive some new asymptotic results on the length of very odd sequences and the number of such sequences of a given length.     

Chebyshev's bias for composite numbers with restricted prime divisors

Let denote the number of primes with . Chebyshev's bias is the phenomenon for which ``more often' \pi(x;d,r)$">, than the other way around, where is a quadratic nonresidue mod and is a quadratic residue mod . If for every up to some large number, then one expects that for every . Here denotes the number of integers such that every prime divisor of satisfies . In this paper we develop some tools to deal with this type of problem and apply them to show that, for example, for every .

In the process we express the so-called second order Landau-Ramanujan constant as an infinite series and show that the same type of formula holds for a much larger class of constants.