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Some Observations about the "Generalized Abundancy Index"

Combinatorics 2025-05-15 v2 Number Theory Probability

Abstract

Let A(,n)Sn\mathcal{A}(\ell,n) \subset S_n^{\ell} denote the set of all \ell-tuples (π1,,π)(\pi_1,\dots,\pi_{\ell}), for π1,,πSn\pi_1,\dots,\pi_{\ell} \in S_n satisfying: i<j\forall i<j we have πiπj=πjπi\pi_i\pi_j=\pi_j\pi_i. Considering the action of SnS_n on [n]={1,,n}[n]=\{1,\dots,n\}, let κ(π1,,π)\kappa(\pi_1,\dots,\pi_{\ell}) be equal to the number of orbits of the action of the subgroup π1,,πSn\langle \pi_1,\dots,\pi_{\ell} \rangle \subset S_n. There has been interest in the study of the combinatorial numbers A(,n,k)A(\ell,n,k) equal to the cardinalities {(π1,,π)A(,n):κ(π1,π)=k}|\{(\pi_1,\dots,\pi_{\ell}) \in \mathcal{A}(\ell,n)\, :\, \kappa(\pi_1,\dots\pi_{\ell})=k\}|. If one defines B(,n)=A(,n,1)/(n1)!B(\ell,n)=A(\ell,n,1)/(n-1)!, then it is known that B(,n)=(f1,,f)N1{n}(f1f)r=11frrB(\ell,n) = \sum_{(f_1,\dots,f_{\ell}) \in \mathbb{N}^{\ell}} \mathbf{1}_{\{n\}}(f_1\cdots f_{\ell}) \prod_{r=1}^{\ell-1} f_r^{\ell-r}. A special case, =2\ell=2, is B(2,n)=dnd=σ1(n)B(2,n) = \sum_{d|n} d = \sigma_1(n) the sum-of-divisors function. Then A(2,n,1)/n!=B(2,n)/nA(2,n,1)/n!=B(2,n)/n is called the abundancy index: σ1(n)/n\sigma_1(n)/n. We call B(,n)n+1B(\ell,n) n^{-\ell+1} the ``generalized abundancy index.'' Building on work of Abdesselam, using the probability model, we prove that limNN1n=1NB(,n)n+1\lim_{N \to \infty} N^{-1} \sum_{n=1}^{N} B(\ell,n) n^{-\ell+1} equals ζ(2)ζ()\zeta(2)\cdots \zeta(\ell). Motivated by this we state a more precise conjecture for the asymptotics of ζ(2)+N1n=1N(B(2,n)/n)-\zeta(2) + N^{-1}\sum_{n=1}^{N} (B(2,n)/n).

Cite

@article{arxiv.2505.07051,
  title  = {Some Observations about the "Generalized Abundancy Index"},
  author = {Shannon Starr},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.07051},
  year   = {2025}
}

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