Moments of random multiplicative functions, I: Low moments, better than squareroot cancellation, and critical multiplicative chaos

We determine the order of magnitude of $\mathbb{E}|\sum_{n \leq x} f(n)|^{2q}$ up to factors of size $e^{O(q^2)}$, where $f(n)$ is a Steinhaus or Rademacher random multiplicative function, for all real $1 \leq q \leq \frac{c\log x}{\log\log x}$. In the Steinhaus case, we show that $\mathbb{E}|\sum_{n \leq x} f(n)|^{2q} = e^{O(q^2)} x^q (\frac{\log x}{q\log(2q)})^{(q-1)^2}$ on this whole range. In the Rademacher case, we find a transition in the behaviour of the moments when...

We consider the random functions $S_N(z):=\sum_{n=1}^N z(n) $, where $z(n)$ is the completely multiplicative random function generated by independent Steinhaus variables $z(p)$. It is shown that ${\Bbb E} |S_N|\gg \sqrt{N}(\log N)^{-0.05616}$ and that $({\Bbb E} |S_N|^q)^{1/q}\gg_{q} \sqrt{N}(\log N)^{-0.07672}$ for all $q>0$.

We prove that if $f(n)$ is a Steinhaus or Rademacher random multiplicative function, there almost surely exist arbitrarily large values of $x$ for which $|\sum_{n \leq x} f(n)| \geq \sqrt{x} (\log\log x)^{1/4+o(1)}$. This is the first such bound that grows faster than $\sqrt{x}$, answering a question of Hal\'asz and proving a conjecture of Erd\H{o}s. It is plausible that the exponent $1/4$ is sharp in this problem. The proofs work by establishing a multivariate Gaussian app...

We investigate when the better than square-root cancellation phenomenon exists for $\sum_{n\le N}a(n)f(n)$, where $a(n)\in \mathbb{C}$ and $f(n)$ is a random multiplicative function. We focus on the case where $a(n)$ is the indicator function of $R$ rough numbers. We prove that $\log \log R \asymp (\log \log x)^{\frac{1}{2}}$ is the threshold for the better than square-root cancellation phenomenon to disappear.

A Steinhaus random multiplicative function $f$ is a completely multiplicative function obtained by setting its values on primes $f(p)$ to be independent random variables distributed uniformly on the unit circle. Recent work of Harper shows that $\sum_{n\le N} f(n)$ exhibits ``more than square-root cancellation," and in particular $\frac 1{\sqrt{N}} \sum_{n\le N} f(n)$ does not have a (complex) Gaussian distribution. This paper studies $\sum_{n\in {\mathcal A}} f(n)$, where ${...

Let $f$ be a Rademacher or a Steinhaus random multiplicative function. Let $\varepsilon>0$ small. We prove that, as $x\rightarrow +\infty$, we almost surely have $$\bigg|\sum_{\substack{n\leq x\\ P(n)>\sqrt{x}}}f(n)\bigg|\leq\sqrt{x}(\log\log x)^{1/4+\varepsilon},$$ where $P(n)$ stands for the largest prime factor of $n$. This gives an indication of the almost sure size of the largest fluctuations of $f$.

For $f$ a Rademacher or Steinhaus random multiplicative function, we prove that $$ \max_{\theta \in [0,1]} \frac{1}{\sqrt{N}} \Bigl| \sum_{n \leq N} f(n) \mathrm{e} (n \theta) \Bigr| \gg \sqrt{\log N} ,$$ asymptotically almost surely as $N \rightarrow \infty$. Furthermore, for $f$ a Steinhaus random multiplicative function, and any $\varepsilon > 0$, we prove the partial upper bound result $$ \max_{\theta \in [0,1]} \frac{1}{\sqrt{N}} \Bigl| \sum_{\substack{n \leq N \\ P(n) \...

We prove conjecturally sharp upper bounds for the Dirichlet character moments $\frac{1}{r-1} \sum_{\chi \; \text{mod} \; r} |\sum_{n \leq x} \chi(n)|^{2q}$, where $r$ is a large prime, $1 \leq x \leq r$, and $0 \leq q \leq 1$ is real. In particular, if both $x$ and $r/x$ tend to infinity with $r$ then $\frac{1}{r-1} \sum_{\chi \; \text{mod} \; r} |\sum_{n \leq x} \chi(n)| = o(\sqrt{x})$, and so the sums $\sum_{n \leq x} \chi(n)$ typically exhibit "better than squareroot cance...

Resolving a conjecture of Helson, Harper recently established that partial sums of random multiplicative functions typically exhibit more than square-root cancellation. Harper's work gives an example of a problem in number theory that is closely linked to ideas in probability theory connected with multiplicative chaos; another such closely related problem is the Fyodorov-Hiary-Keating conjecture on the maximum size of the Riemann zeta function in intervals of bounded length o...

We prove that the $k$-th positive integer moment of partial sums of Steinhaus random multiplicative functions over the interval $(x, x+H]$ matches the corresponding Gaussian moment, as long as $H\ll x/(\log x)^{2k^2+2+o(1)}$ and $H$ tends to infinity with $x$. We show that properly normalized partial sums of typical multiplicative functions arising from realizations of random multiplicative functions have Gaussian limiting distribution in short moving intervals $(x, x+H]$ wit...