prime omega function

{{Short description|Number of prime factors of a natural number}}

In number theory, the prime omega functions \omega(n) and \Omega(n) count the number of prime factors of a natural number n. The number of distinct prime factors is assigned to \omega(n) (little omega), while \Omega(n) (big omega) counts the total number of prime factors with multiplicity (see arithmetic function). That is, if we have a prime factorization of n of the form n = p_1^{\alpha_1} p_2^{\alpha_2} \cdots p_k^{\alpha_k} for distinct primes p_i (1 \leq i \leq k), then the prime omega functions are given by \omega(n) = k and \Omega(n) = \alpha_1 + \alpha_2 + \cdots + \alpha_k. These prime-factor-counting functions have many important number theoretic relations.

Properties and relations

The function \omega(n) is additive and \Omega(n) is completely additive. Little omega has the formula

\omega(n)=\sum_{p\mid n} 1,

where notation {{Math|p{{!}}n}} indicates that the sum is taken over all primes {{Mvar|p}} that divide {{Mvar|n}}, without multiplicity. For example, \omega(12)=\omega(2^2 3)=2.

Big omega has the formulas

\Omega(n) =\sum_{p^\alpha\mid n} 1 =\sum_{p^\alpha\parallel n}\alpha.

The notation {{Math|pα{{!}}n}} indicates that the sum is taken over all prime powers {{Math|pα}} that divide {{Mvar|n}}, while {{Math|pα{{!}}{{!}}n}} indicates that the sum is taken over all prime powers {{Math|pα}} that divide {{Mvar|n}} and such that {{Math|n / pα}} is coprime to {{Math|pα}}. For example, \Omega(12)=\Omega(2^2 3^1)=3.

The omegas are related by the inequalities {{Math|ω(n) ≤ Ω(n)}} and {{Math|2ω(n)d(n) ≤ 2Ω(n)}}, where {{Math|d(n)}} is the divisor-counting function.This inequality is given in Section 22.13 of Hardy and Wright. If {{Math|1=Ω(n) = ω(n)}}, then {{Mvar|n}} is squarefree and related to the Möbius function by

:\mu(n) = (-1)^{\omega(n)} = (-1)^{\Omega(n)}.

If \omega(n) = 1 then n is a prime power, and if \Omega(n)=1 then n is prime.

An asymptotic series for the average order of \omega(n) is S. R. Finch, Two asymptotic series, Mathematical Constants II, Cambridge Univ. Press, pp. 21-32, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160419150604/http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~sfinch/csolve/asym.pdf]

:\frac{1}{n} \sum\limits_{k = 1}^n \omega(k) \sim \log\log n + B_1 + \sum_{k \geq 1} \left(\sum_{j=0}^{k-1} \frac{\gamma_j}{j!} - 1\right) \frac{(k-1)!}{(\log n)^k},

where B_1 \approx 0.26149721 is the Mertens constant and \gamma_j are the Stieltjes constants.

The function \omega(n) is related to divisor sums over the Möbius function and the divisor function, including:Each of these started from the second identity in the list are cited individually on the pages Dirichlet convolutions of arithmetic functions, Menon's identity, and other formulas for Euler's totient function. The first identity is a combination of two known divisor sums cited in Section 27.6 of the [https://dlmf.nist.gov/27.6 NIST Handbook of Mathematical Functions].

:\sum_{d\mid n} |\mu(d)| = 2^{\omega(n)} is the number of unitary divisors. {{Oeis|A034444}}

:\sum_{d\mid n} |\mu(d)| k^{\omega(d)} = (k+1)^{\omega(n)}

:\sum_{r\mid n} 2^{\omega(r)} = d(n^2)

:\sum_{r\mid n} 2^{\omega(r)} d\left(\frac{n}{r}\right) = d^2(n)

:\sum_{d\mid n} (-1)^{\omega(d)} = \prod\limits_{p^{\alpha}||n} (1-\alpha)

:

\sum_{\stackrel{1\le k\le m}{(k,m)=1}} \gcd(k^2-1,m_1)\gcd(k^2-1,m_2)

=\varphi(n)\sum_{\stackrel{d_1\mid m_1} {d_2\mid m_2}} \varphi(\gcd(d_1, d_2)) 2^{\omega(\operatorname{lcm}(d_1, d_2))},\ m_1, m_2 \text{ odd}, m = \operatorname{lcm}(m_1, m_2)

:\sum_\stackrel{1\le k\le n}{\operatorname{gcd}(k,m)=1} \!\!\!\! 1 = n \frac {\varphi(m)}{m} + O \left ( 2^{\omega(m)} \right )

The characteristic function of the primes can be expressed by a convolution with the Möbius function:This is suggested as an exercise in Apostol's book. Namely, we write f = \mu \ast \omega where f(n) = \sum_{d|n} \mu(n/d) \sum_{r|d} \left(\pi(r) - \pi(r-1)\right). We can form the Dirichlet series over f as D_f(s) := \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{f(n)}{n^s} = P(s), where P(s) is the prime zeta function. Then it becomes obvious to see that f(n) = \pi(n) - \pi(n-1) = \chi_{\mathbb{P}}(n) is the indicator function of the primes.

: \chi_{\mathbb{P}}(n)

= (\mu \ast \omega)(n) = \sum_{d|n} \omega(d) \mu(n/d).

A partition-related exact identity for \omega(n) is given by This identity is proved in the article by Schmidt cited on this page below.

:\omega(n) = \log_2\left[\sum_{k=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^k \left(\sum_{d\mid k} \sum_{i=1}^d p(d-ji) \right) s_{n,k} \cdot |\mu(j)|\right],

where p(n) is the partition function, \mu(n) is the Möbius function, and the triangular sequence s_{n,k} is expanded by

:s_{n,k} = [q^n] (q; q)_\infty \frac{q^k}{1-q^k} = s_o(n, k) - s_e(n, k),

in terms of the infinite q-Pochhammer symbol and the restricted partition functions s_{o/e}(n, k) which respectively denote the number of k's in all partitions of n into an odd (even) number of distinct parts.This triangular sequence also shows up prominently in the Lambert series factorization theorems proved by Merca and Schmidt (2017–2018)

Continuation to the complex plane

A continuation of \omega(n) has been found, though it is not analytic everywhere.{{Cite journal |last1=Hoelscher |first1=Zachary |last2=Palsson |first2=Eyvindur |date=2020-12-05 |title=Counting Restricted Partitions of Integers Into Fractions: Symmetry and Modes of the Generating Function and a Connection to ω(t) |url=https://journals.calstate.edu/pump/article/view/2428 |journal=The PUMP Journal of Undergraduate Research |language=en |volume=3 |pages=277–307 |doi=10.46787/pump.v3i0.2428 |arxiv=2011.14502 |issn=2576-3725}} Note that the normalized \operatorname{sinc} function \operatorname{sinc}(x) = \frac{\sin(\pi x)}{\pi x} is used.

:\omega(z) = \log_2\left(\sum_{n=1}^{\lceil Re(z) \rceil} \operatorname{sinc} \left(\prod_{m=1}^{\lceil Re(z) \rceil+1} \left( n^2+n-mz \right) \right) \right)

This is closely related to the following partition identity. Consider partitions of the form

:a= \frac{2}{c} + \frac{4}{c} + \ldots + \frac{2(b-1)}{c} + \frac{2b}{c}

where a , b , and c are positive integers, and a > b > c . The number of partitions is then given by 2^{\omega(a)} - 2 . {{Cite journal |last1=Hoelscher |first1=Zachary |last2=Palsson |first2=Eyvindur |date=2020-12-05 |title=Counting Restricted Partitions of Integers Into Fractions: Symmetry and Modes of the Generating Function and a Connection to ω(t) |url=https://journals.calstate.edu/pump/article/view/2428 |journal=The PUMP Journal of Undergraduate Research |language=en |volume=3 |pages=277–307 |doi=10.46787/pump.v3i0.2428 |arxiv=2011.14502 |issn=2576-3725}}

Average order and summatory functions

An average order of both \omega(n) and \Omega(n) is \log\log n. When n is prime a lower bound on the value of the function is \omega(n) = 1. Similarly, if n is primorial then the function is as large as

\omega(n) \sim \frac{\log n}{\log\log n}

on average order. When n is a power of 2, then \Omega(n) = \log_2(n).For references to each of these average order estimates see equations (3) and (18) of the MathWorld reference and Section 22.10-22.11 of Hardy and Wright.

Asymptotics for the summatory functions over \omega(n), \Omega(n), and powers of \omega(n) are respectivelySee Sections 22.10 and 22.11 for reference and explicit derivations of these asymptotic estimates.Actually, the proof of the last result given in Hardy and Wright actually suggests a more general procedure for extracting asymptotic estimates of the moments \sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n)^k for any k \geq 2 by considering the summatory functions of the factorial moments of the form \sum_{n \leq x} \frac{\left[\omega(n)\right]!}{\left[\omega(n)-m\right]!} for more general cases of m \geq 2.

:\begin{align}

\sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n) & = x \log\log x + B_1 x + o(x) \\

\sum_{n \leq x} \Omega(n) & = x \log\log x + B_2 x + o(x) \\

\sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n)^2 & = x (\log\log x)^2 + O(x \log\log x) \\

\sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n)^k & = x (\log\log x)^k + O(x (\log\log x)^{k-1}), k \in \mathbb{Z}^{+},

\end{align}

where B_1 \approx 0.2614972128 is the Mertens constant and the constant B_2 is defined by

:B_2 = B_1 + \sum_{p\text{ prime}} \frac{1}{p(p-1)} \approx 1.0345061758.

The sum of number of unitary divisors is

\sum_{n \le x} 2^{\omega(n)} =(x \log x)/\zeta(2) + O(x){{Cite journal |last=Cohen |first=Eckford |date=1960 |title=The Number of Unitary Divisors of an Integer |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2309455 |journal=The American Mathematical Monthly |volume=67 |issue=9 |pages=879–880 |doi=10.2307/2309455 |jstor=2309455 |issn=0002-9890}} {{OEIS|A064608}}

Other sums relating the two variants of the prime omega functions include Hardy and Wright Chapter 22.11.

:\sum_{n \leq x} \left\{\Omega(n) - \omega(n)\right\} = O(x),

and

:\#\left\{n \leq x : \Omega(n) - \omega(n) > \sqrt{\log\log x}\right\} = O\left(\frac{x}{(\log\log x)^{1/2}}\right).

=Example I: A modified summatory function=

In this example we suggest a variant of the summatory functions S_{\omega}(x) := \sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n) estimated in the above results for sufficiently large x. We then prove an asymptotic formula for the growth of this modified summatory function derived from the asymptotic estimate of S_{\omega}(x) provided in the formulas in the main subsection of this article above.N.b., this sum is suggested by work contained in an unpublished manuscript by the contributor to this page related to the growth of the Mertens function. Hence it is not just a vacuous and/or trivial estimate obtained for the purpose of exposition here.

To be completely precise, let the odd-indexed summatory function be defined as

:S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) := \sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n) [n\text{ odd}],

where [\cdot] denotes Iverson bracket. Then we have that

:S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) = \frac{x}{2} \log\log x + \frac{(2B_1-1)x}{4} + \left\{\frac{x}{4}\right\} - \left[x \equiv 2,3 \bmod{4}\right] + O\left(\frac{x}{\log x}\right).

The proof of this result follows by first observing that

:

\omega(2n) = \begin{cases}

\omega(n) + 1, & \text{if } n \text{ is odd; } \\

\omega(n), & \text{if } n \text{ is even,}

\end{cases}

and then applying the asymptotic result from Hardy and Wright for the summatory function over \omega(n), denoted by S_{\omega}(x) := \sum_{n \leq x} \omega(n), in the following form:

: \begin{align}

S_\omega(x) & = S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) + \sum_{n \leq \left\lfloor\frac{x}{2}\right\rfloor} \omega(2n) \\

& = S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) + \sum_{n \leq \left\lfloor\frac{x}{4}\right\rfloor} \left(\omega(4n) + \omega(4n+2)\right) \\

& = S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) + \sum_{n \leq \left\lfloor\frac{x}{4}\right\rfloor} \left(\omega(2n) + \omega(2n+1) + 1\right) \\

& = S_{\operatorname{odd}}(x) + S_{\omega}\left(\left\lfloor\frac{x}{2}\right\rfloor\right) + \left\lfloor\frac{x}{4}\right\rfloor.

\end{align}

=Example II: Summatory functions for so-termed factorial moments of ω(n)=

The computations expanded in Chapter 22.11 of Hardy and Wright provide asymptotic estimates for the summatory function

:\omega(n) \left\{\omega(n)-1\right\},

by estimating the product of these two component omega functions as

:\omega(n) \left\{\omega(n)-1\right\} = \sum_{\stackrel{pq\mid n} {\stackrel{p \neq q}{p,q\text{ prime}}}} 1 =

\sum_{\stackrel{pq\mid n}{p,q\text{ prime}}} 1 - \sum_{\stackrel{p^2\mid n}{p\text{ prime}}} 1.

We can similarly calculate asymptotic formulas more generally for the related summatory functions over so-termed factorial moments of the function \omega(n).

Dirichlet series

A known Dirichlet series involving \omega(n) and the Riemann zeta function is given by This identity is found in Section 27.4 of the [https://dlmf.nist.gov/27.4 NIST Handbook of Mathematical Functions].

:\sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{2^{\omega(n)}}{n^s} = \frac{\zeta^2(s)}{\zeta(2s)},\ \Re(s) > 1.

We can also see that

: \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{z^{\omega(n)}}{n^s} = \prod_p \left(1 + \frac{z}{p^s-1}\right), |z| < 2, \Re(s) > 1,

: \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{z^{\Omega(n)}}{n^s} = \prod_p \left(1 - \frac{z}{p^s}\right)^{-1}, |z| < 2, \Re(s) > 1,

The function \Omega(n) is completely additive, where \omega(n) is strongly additive (additive). Now we can prove a short lemma in the following form which implies exact formulas for the expansions of the Dirichlet series over both \omega(n) and \Omega(n):

Lemma. Suppose that f is a strongly additive arithmetic function defined such that its values at prime powers is given by f(p^{\alpha}) := f_0(p, \alpha), i.e., f(p_1^{\alpha_1} \cdots p_k^{\alpha_k}) = f_0(p_1, \alpha_1) + \cdots + f_0(p_k, \alpha_k) for distinct primes p_i and exponents \alpha_i \geq 1. The Dirichlet series of f is expanded by

:\sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{f(n)}{n^s} = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{p\mathrm{\ prime}} (1-p^{-s}) \cdot \sum_{n \geq 1} f_0(p, n) p^{-ns},

\Re(s) > \min(1, \sigma_f).

Proof. We can see that

: \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{u^{f(n)}}{n^s} = \prod_{p\mathrm{\ prime}} \left(1+\sum_{n \geq 1} u^{f_0(p, n)} p^{-ns}\right).

This implies that

: \begin{align}

\sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{f(n)}{n^s} & =

\frac{d}{du}\left[\prod_{p\mathrm{\ prime}} \left(1+\sum_{n \geq 1} u^{f_0(p, n)} p^{-ns}\right)\right] \Biggr|_{u=1}

=

\prod_{p} \left(1 + \sum_{n \geq 1} p^{-ns}\right) \times \sum_{p} \frac{\sum_{n \geq 1} f_0(p, n) p^{-ns}}{

1 + \sum_{n \geq 1} p^{-ns}} \\

& = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{p\mathrm{\ prime}} (1-p^{-s}) \cdot \sum_{n \geq 1} f_0(p, n) p^{-ns},

\end{align}

wherever the corresponding series and products are convergent. In the last equation, we have used the Euler product representation of the Riemann zeta function.

The lemma implies that for \Re(s) > 1,

: \begin{align}

D_{\omega}(s) & := \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{\omega(n)}{n^s} = \zeta(s) P(s) \\

& \ = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{\mu(n)}{n} \log \zeta(ns) \\

D_{\Omega}(s) & := \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{\Omega(n)}{n^s} = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{n \geq 1} P(ns) \\

& \ = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{\phi(n)}{n} \log\zeta(ns) \\

D_h(s) & := \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{h(n)}{n^s} = \zeta(s) \log \zeta(s) \\

& \ = \zeta(s) \times \sum_{n \geq 1} \frac{\varepsilon(n)}{n} \log \zeta(ns),

\end{align}

where P(s) is the prime zeta function, h(n) = \sum_{p^k|n}{\frac{1}{k}} = \sum_{p^k||n}{H_{k}} where H_{k} is the k-th harmonic number and \varepsilon is the identity for the Dirichlet convolution, \varepsilon (n) = \lfloor\frac{1}{n}\rfloor.

The distribution of the difference of prime omega functions

The distribution of the distinct integer values of the differences \Omega(n) - \omega(n) is regular in comparison with the semi-random properties of the component functions. For k \geq 0, define

:N_k(x) := \#(\{n \in \mathbb{Z}^{+}: \Omega(n) - \omega(n) = k\} \cap [1, x]).

These cardinalities have a corresponding sequence of limiting densities d_k such that for x \geq 2

:N_k(x) = d_k \cdot x + O\left(\left(\frac{3}{4}\right)^k \sqrt{x} (\log x)^{\frac{4}{3}}\right).

These densities are generated by the prime products

:\sum_{k \geq 0} d_k \cdot z^k = \prod_p \left(1 - \frac{1}{p}\right) \left(1 + \frac{1}{p-z}\right).

With the absolute constant \hat{c} := \frac{1}{4} \times \prod_{p > 2} \left(1 - \frac{1}{(p-1)^2}\right)^{-1},

the densities d_k satisfy

:d_k = \hat{c} \cdot 2^{-k} + O(5^{-k}).

Compare to the definition of the prime products defined in the last section of {{cite journal|last1=Rényi|first1=A.|last2=Turán|first2=P.|title=On a theorem of Erdös-Kac|journal=Acta Arithmetica|volume=4|number=1|year=1958|pages=71–84|doi=10.4064/aa-4-1-71-84|url=http://matwbn.icm.edu.pl/ksiazki/aa/aa4/aa417.pdf}} in relation to the Erdős–Kac theorem.

See also

Notes

{{Reflist|30em}}

References

  • {{cite book|last1=G. H. Hardy and E. M. Wright|title=An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers|date=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=6th}}
  • {{cite book|last1=H. L. Montgomery and R. C. Vaughan|title=Multiplicative number theory I. Classical theory|date=2007|publisher= Cambridge University Press|edition=1st}}
  • {{cite arXiv|last1=Schmidt|first1=Maxie|title=Factorization Theorems for Hadamard Products and Higher-Order Derivatives of Lambert Series Generating Functions|year=2017|class=math.NT|eprint=1712.00608}}
  • {{cite web|last1=Weisstein|first1=Eric|title=Distinct Prime Factors|url=http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DistinctPrimeFactors.html|website=MathWorld|access-date=22 April 2018}}