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Prime-representing functions. (English) Zbl 1240.11101
W. H. Mills [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 53, 604 (1947; Zbl 0033.16303)] proved: There exists a real constant $$\alpha$$ such that the sequence $$\lfloor \alpha^{3^n}\rfloor$$ contains only prime numbers. There have been some subsequent extensions or refinements: I. Niven [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 2, 753–755 (1951; Zbl 0044.03702)] proved that the $$3$$ can be replaced by any constant $$c>\frac{8}{3}$$, G. Alkauskas and A. Dubickas [Acta Math. Hung. 105, No.  3, 249–256 (2004; Zbl 1102.11004)] improved this to $$c>\frac{40}{19}$$. These constants reflect the current knowledge on primes in short intervals. Along this approach, reducing the constant to 2 appeared to be hopeless. E. M. Wright [J. Lond. Math. Soc. 29, 63–71 (1954; Zbl 0055.04101)] extended the result to hold for certain sequences.
Making use of her recent result, $\sum_{p_{n+1}-p_n> x^{1/2},\;x\leq p_{n\leq 2x}} (p_{n+1}-p_n) \ll x^{2/3},$ [Q. J. Math. 58, No.  4, 489–518 (2007; Zbl 1141.11042)], the author proves: Let $$c_i$$ be a sequence of real numbers with $$c_i\geq 2$$. Let $$C_n = c_1 \cdots c_n$$. There exists $$\alpha>2$$ such that the sequence $$\lfloor \alpha^{C_n} \rfloor$$ contains only prime numbers. The set of such numbers $$\alpha$$ has the cardinality of the continuum, is nowhere dense and has measure zero. In particular for $$c_i=2^i$$ this shows that there is some $$\alpha >2$$ such that $$\lfloor \alpha^{2^n} \rfloor$$ contains only prime numbers. On the Riemann Hypothesis the condition can be weakened to $$c_i \geq \frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}$$.

##### MSC:
 11N05 Distribution of primes 11A41 Primes
##### Keywords:
prime representing function; distribution of primes
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##### References:
 [1] G. Alkauskas and A. Dubickas, Prime and composite numbers as integer parts of powers, Acta Math. Hungar., 105 (2004), 249–256. · Zbl 1102.11004 [2] R. C. Baker, G. Harman and J. Pintz, The difference between consecutive primes, II, Proc. London Math. Soc. (3), 83 (2001), 532–562. · Zbl 1016.11037 [3] A. E. Ingham, On the difference between consecutive primes, Quart. J. Math., 8 (1937), 255–266. · Zbl 0017.38904 [4] K. Matomäki, Large differences between consecutive primes, Quart. J. Math., 58 (2007), 489–518. · Zbl 1141.11042 [5] W. H. Mills, A prime representing function, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 53 (1947), 604. · Zbl 0033.16303 [6] I. Niven, Functions which represent prime numbers, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 2 (1951), 753–755. · Zbl 0044.03702 [7] A. S. Peck, On the differences between consecutive primes, PhD thesis (University of Oxford, 1996). · Zbl 0891.11046 [8] A. S. Peck, Differences between consecutive primes, Proc. London Math. Soc. (3), 76 (1998), 33–69. · Zbl 0891.11046 [9] A. Selberg, On the normal density of primes in small intervals, and the difference between consecutive primes, Arch. Math. Naturvid, 47 (1943), 87–105. · Zbl 0063.06869 [10] E. M. Wright, A class of representing functions, J. London Math. Soc., 29 (1954), 63–71. · Zbl 0055.04101
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