Topics in analytic number theory, Lent 2013.

Lecture 20: Conclusion of Bombieris theorem

Bob Hough
March 6, 2013
Reference for this lecture: Bombieri Section 6.
Recall the hybrid version of the large sieve.
TheoremP
(Hybrid large sieve). Let T 2. Let {an }
n=1 be complex numbers
satisfying
|an | < and the additional condition that an = 0 if n has a factor
T . Then
2
Z 

X
X
T X T X
it 
(|an |2 (n + T 3 )).
an (n)n  dt 
log



q
T
n
n
qT

mod q

[Note: it may be that the RHS = .]

Also, the statement of Bombieris Theorem.
Theorem (Bombieri). There exists c > 0 such that, for all T > 2, and all
1/2 < 1,
X X
N (, T ; ) = O(T c(1) ).
qT mod q

If there exists a real primitive character 1 mod q1 with q1 < T , such that
(s, 0 ) has zero 1 > 1 log T , then we have the improved estimate
X X
N 0 (, T ; ) = O(T c(1) (1 1 ) log T ).
qT mod q

Here the
cluded.

on N 0 (, T ; ) indicates that the single exceptional zero is to be ex-

Completion of proof of Bombieris theorem. Recall that we have set r = C(1

) with C 2 and 1/ log T < r < 1012 .
At the end of last lecture, we had reached the bound
2


Z T +r/2 Z xA  X
 dy

(log x)3 Cr 0
a
(p)
p


dw

x
N (, T ; ).

1+iw  y
log T
T r/2 x

xp<y p
We rearrange and sum over to obtain
X X
qT mod q

cr

x log T X X
N 0 (, T ; ) 
(log x)3

qT mod q

T +r/2

T r/2

xA


2
 X


ap (p)  dy

dw

1+iw  y
xp<y p


At this point, Bombieri makes a move which would be very wasteful, except that
we are working quite close to the line <(s) = 1; he includes the set of characters
mod q with q T into the set with q T 2 . Thus the above is bounded by
2


2 
Z xA X
2 X Z T  X
cr
x
T
dy
ap (p) 

log
dw

1+iw 
(log x)3 x
q
p
y
2
T 

2
qT

xp<y

mod q

Assume that x > T 2 . Then by the hybrid large sieve we obtain the bound
xcr
(log x)3

xA

Z xA X
X |ap |2
|ap |2 dy
xcr
6 dy
(p
+
T
)

,
2
3
p
y
(log x) x
p y

xpy

xpy

the last estimate being satisfied if x > T 6 , which we now assume. Finally, we
exchange sum and integral to obtain the bound


xcr
(log x)3

X
xpxA

|ap |2
p

xA

dy
xcr

y
(log x)2

X
xpxA

|ap |2
.
p

Since r = C(1 ) we complete the proof of Bombieris theorem by proving the

following Lemma.
Lemma 20.1 (Bombieri Lemma C). We have the bound

X |ap |2
(log x)2
non-exceptional case

3
(1

)(log
x)
When 1 is exceptional for L(s, 1 )
p
1
A
xpx

Proof. Recall that ap = log p in the non-exceptional case, and ap = (1 +

1 (p)
) log p in the exceptional case.
p11
In the non-exceptional case, we may bound
X
xpxA

(log p)2
 A log x
p

X
xpxA

log p
 A2 (log x)2 ,
p

e.g. by partial summation against the prime number theorem. Thus in the
exceptional case we may assume that (1 1 ) 100A1log x , or else the bound is
already covered by the non-exceptional case. Assuming this, then
ap = (1 + 1 (p)) log p + 1 (p)(p1 1 1) log p
= (1 + 1 (p)) log p + O((1 1 )(log p)2 ).
Thus for x p xA , using (1 1 ) log p < 1,
a2p  (1 + 1 (p))(log p)2 + O((1 1 )(log p)3 ).
Now
X
xpxA

(1 1 )(log p)3
 A2 (11 )(log x)2
p

X
xpxA

log p
 A3 (11 )(log x)3 ,
p

while
X
xpxA

(1 + 1 (p))(log p)2 )
 A2 (log x)2
p

X
xpxA

1 + 1 (p)
p

so for the lemma it will suffice to prove that

X
xpxA

1 + 1 (p)
 (1 1 ) log x.
p

(1)

Before proving this we introduce a bit of notation. Let

X
1 (n) =
1 (d).
d|n

Thus 1 (p) = 1 + 1 (p). The coefficients 1 are multiplicative, if (m, n) = 1

then
1 (mn) = 1 (m)1 (n),
and positive. The positivity may be checked at prime powers. Alternatively it
follows from the fact that
F (s) = (s)L(s, 1 )
is the Dedekind zeta function of the quadratic field with character 1 .
Thus it follows that
X
X
X (n) X (p)
1 (np)
1 (n)
1
1
=

.
n
p
np
n
A
A+1
A
n<x
n<x,xpx

xpx

xnx

The bound (1) now follows from the following sub-lemma.

Lemma 20.2. Let x > T 5 and A 1. We have the bounds
X
xnxA+1

and

1 (n)
 L(1, 1 ) log x
n

X (n)
L(1, 1 )
1

.
n
(1 1 )

1nx

Proof. For the first statement, note that

X
xnxA+1

X (n)
A+1
1 (n)
1

(en/(x ) en/(x/2) )
n
n
n

since the introduced quantity is  1 throughout the length of the original sum.
Recall the identity
Z 2+i
1
(s)xs ds = e1/x .
2i 2i
Thus the latter sum may be expressed as
Z 2+i
1
(s + 1)L(s + 1, 1 )[x(A+1)s (x/2)s ](s)ds.
2i 2i
3

Shifting the contour to the line <(s) = 1/2 we pass a pole at 0. Note that this
would be a double pole, coming from and , but the factor [x(A+1)s (x/2)s ]
vanishes at 0. The residue at 0 is thus
L(1, 1 )(A log x + log 2).
Meanwhile, the integral is bounded by
Z 1/2+i
(s + 1)L(s + 1, 1 )[x(A+1)s (x/2)s ](s)ds  x1/2 T,
1/2i

by putting in the trivial bounds (1/2+it)  (1+|t|), L(1/2+it, )  T (1+|t|)

and using exponential decay of in vertical strips. Since L(1, 1 )  1T by the
class number formula, we have an asymptotic formula if x  T 3 , which proves
the first claim,
X
1 (n)
 L(1, 1 ) log x.
n
A+1
xnx

If we tried to evaluate the sum in the second claim by standard Perron

summation we would arrive at
Z 1+iT
X (n)
1
ds
1

(s)L(s, 1 )xs .
n
2i 1iT
s
nx

The right hand side has a double pole at 0, expected to give the main contribution. This residue is
L(1, 1 ) log x + L0 (1, 1 ).
Since L0 (1, 1 ) is expected to be negative (there is a nearby 0), this main term is
difficult to estimate. This issue may be avoided by a trick similar to the one in
the proof of Siegels Theorem (we got this from Friedlander and Iwaniec, Opera
de Cribro).
We have
X (n)
X (n)
X (n)
n
1
1
1

x1 1
x1 1 (1 )

1
1
n
n
n
x
nx

nx

nx

The last factor is introduced for convergence in the resulting Perron integral.
Indeed, we observe the integral identity ( > 0)

Z +i
1
ds
1 1/x
x>1
s
x
=
;
0
otherwise
2i i
s(s + 1)
the proof is familiar shift the contour left if x > 1 and right otherwise.
Thus the last sum may be written
Z 11 +1/ log x+i
1
ds
(s + 1 )L(s + 1 , 1 )xs+1 1
.
2i 11 +1/ log xi
s(s + 1)
To conclude we shift the contour to the line <(s) = 1/2 1 passing a pole at
s = 1 1 with residue
L(1, 1 )
.
(1 1 )(2 1 )
4

Shifting the integral is justified by the convexity bound which we will prove
next class: for 0 < 1 (and |t| 2 if = 1)
|( + it)|  (1 + |t|)(1)/2+ ,

|L( + it, 1 )|  (q1 + |t|)(1)/2+

Thus the integral on the line <(s) = 1/2 1 is bounded by

1
2i

1/21 +i

(s + 1 )L(s + 1 , 1 )xs1+1

1/21 i
1/4+ 1/2

 q1

ds
s(s + 1)

 T 1/4+ x1/2 .

Again using L(1, 1 )  1T , we deduce that for x  T 3/2+3 the residue term
dominates the error integral. Thus
X 1 (n)
L(1, 1 )

n
(1 1 )

nx

as desired.