Bi-Unitary Multiperfect Numbers, I
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Notes on Number Theory and Discrete Mathematics Print ISSN 1310–5132, Online ISSN 2367–8275 Vol. 26, 2020, No. 1, 93–171 DOI: 10.7546/nntdm.2020.26.1.93-171 Bi-unitary multiperfect numbers, I Pentti Haukkanen1 and Varanasi Sitaramaiah2 1 Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, FI-33014 Tampere University, Finland e-mail: [email protected] 2 1/194e, Poola Subbaiah Street, Taluk Office Road, Markapur Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh, 523316 India e-mail: [email protected] Dedicated to the memory of Prof. D. Suryanarayana Received: 19 December 2019 Revised: 21 January 2020 Accepted: 5 March 2020 Abstract: A divisor d of a positive integer n is called a unitary divisor if gcd(d; n=d) = 1; and d is called a bi-unitary divisor of n if the greatest common unitary divisor of d and n=d is unity. The concept of a bi-unitary divisor is due to D. Surynarayana [12]. Let σ∗∗(n) denote the sum of the bi-unitary divisors of n: A positive integer n is called a bi-unitary perfect number if σ∗∗(n) = 2n. This concept was introduced by C. R. Wall in 1972 [15], and he proved that there are only three bi-unitary perfect numbers, namely 6, 60 and 90. In 1987, Peter Hagis [6] introduced the notion of bi-unitary multi k-perfect numbers as solu- tions n of the equation σ∗∗(n) = kn. A bi-unitary multi 3-perfect number is called a bi-unitary triperfect number. A bi-unitary multiperfect number means a bi-unitary multi k-perfect number with k ≥ 3: Hagis [6] proved that there are no odd bi-unitary multiperfect numbers. We aim to publish a series of papers on bi-unitary multiperfect numbers focusing on multiperfect numbers of the form n = 2au, where u is odd. In this paper—part I of the series—we investigate bi-unitary triperfect numbers of the form n = 2au, where 1 ≤ a ≤ 3. It appears that n = 120 = 2315 is the only such number. Hagis [6] found by computer the bi-unitary multiperfect numbers less than 107. We have found 31 such numbers up to 8:1010: The first 13 are due to Hagis. After complet- ing this paper we noticed that further numbers are already listed in The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (sequence A189000 Bi-unitary multiperfect numbers). The numbers listed there have been found by direct computer calculations. Our purpose is to present a mathematical search and treatment of bi-unitary multiperfect numbers. Keywords: Perfect numbers, Triperfect numbers, Multiperfect numbers, Bi-unitary analogues. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 11A25. 93 1 Introduction Throughout this paper, all lower case letters denote positive integers; p and q denote primes. The letters u, v and w are reserved for odd numbers. Let σ(n) denote the sum of the positive divisors of n. It is well known that a positive integer n is called a perfect number if σ(n) = 2n; a concept introduced by Euclid (300 BC). He demonstrated that numbers of the form n = 2p−1(2p − 1) are perfect numbers, where p and 2p − 1 are primes. The converse that these numbers are the only even perfect numbers was established by Euler two thousand years later. Primes of the form 2p − 1, where p is a prime number, are called Mersenne primes and are denoted by Mp: Each Mersenne prime gives rise to an even perfect number. The first few examples of even perfect numbers are 6; 28; 496; 8128 and 33550336 which correspond to the primes p = 2; 3; 5; 7 and 13. One does not know whether this list of even perfect numbers can be continued indefinitely as the answer depends on whether there exist infinitely many Mersenne primes. Till now, 51 Mersenne primes are known (consequently 51 even perfect numbers). The internet information says that the 51-st Mersenne prime namely 282;589;933 − 1 was found by Patrick Laroche on December 7, 2018. This appears to be the largest known prime with 24,862,048 digits. Till to date, we do not know an example of an odd perfect number. Euler proved that if n is an odd perfect number, then n = pak2, where p is a prime not dividing the positive integer k and p ≡ a ≡ 1 (mod 4). In 2012, Pascal Ochem and Michael Rao (cf. [7]) proved that there are no odd perfect numbers less than 101500 and an odd perfect number should have at least 101 distinct prime factors. These appear to be the latest results of this type on odd perfect numbers. A positive integer n is called multiply perfect if σ(n) = kn for some positive integer k and the integer k is called the multiplicity of the number n; or equivalently n is multiply perfect if and only if njσ(n): Multiply perfect numbers with multiplicity k are called multi k-perfect numbers or k-fold perfect numbers. Multiply perfect numbers with multiplicity 2 are of course perfect numbers. Multi 3-perfect numbers are called triperfect numbers. For example, the smallest positive integers that are solutions of σ(n) = kn for k = 1; 2; 3; 4; 5 are, respectively, 1; 6; 120; 30240 and 14182439040 = 27:34:5:7:11217:19. Examples of multi k-perfect numbers are known for 1 ≤ k ≤ 11 (see Wikipedia). The number n = 2468:3140:566:1140:1711:1912 :::; a multiply perfect number of multiplicity 11 and with 1907 digits appears to have been found by G.F. Woltman on March 13, 2001. Till now, the only known odd multiply perfect number is 1. It is yet to be known whether there are finitely many multiply perfect numbers for each fixed multiplicity > 2 (see Wikipedia). An open question is whether each multi k-perfect number is divisible by k!: Note that L. E. Dick- son’s book [2] contains a good account of work on multiply perfect numbers (see also [3, 8]). A divisor d of n is called a unitary divisor if gcd(d; n=d) = 1. If d is a unitary divisor of n, we write dkn: The concept of unitary divisor was originally due to R. Vaidyanathaswamy [13] who called such a divisor as block factor. The present terminology is due to E. Cohen [1]. Let σ∗(n) denote the sum of the unitary divisors of n. It is known (cf. [1]) that σ∗ is a multiplicative function, σ∗(1) = 1 and σ∗(pa) = pa + 1 whenever p is a prime and a is a positive 94 integer. M. V. Subbarao and L. J. Warren [11] introduced the notion of a unitary perfect number as follows: a positive integer n is called a unitary perfect number if σ∗(n) = 2n: They proved that there are no odd unitary perfect numbers. The only five unitary perfect numbers known till now are 6; 60; 90; 87360 and 146361946186458562560000 = 218:3:54:7:11:13:19:37:79:109:157:313: The first four examples were due to M. V. Subbarao and L. J. Warren [11] and the last being due to C. R. Wall [14, 16]. It is not known whether there exists a unitary perfect number not divisible by 3 (see M. V. Subbarao and L. J. Warren [11]) and also whether there are infinitely many unitary perfect numbers (see M. V. Subbarao [10]). A positive integer m is called unitary multiply perfect if mjσ∗(m); that is, it is solution of σ∗(m) = km for some positive integer k. In the case k > 2, no example of a unitary multiply perfect number is known till now. It is known that if such a number exists, it must be even and greater than 10102 and must have more than forty four odd prime factors (see [4,5]). This problem is probably very difficult to settle. It is easily seen that if p is a prime, a and n are positive integers such that pajσ∗(n) and njσ∗(pa); (1:1) then m = pan (1:2) is unitary multiply perfect number. However it has been proved in [9] that the only solutions of (1:1) are p = 2; a = 1; n = 3; p = 3; a = 1; n = 2; and p = 3; a = 2; n = 10: The only solutions of (1:1) in the form (1:2) are m = 6 and m = 90; which are unitary perfect numbers. Thus if k > 3, there are no solutions to the equation σ∗(m) = km of the form (1:2). A divisor d of n is called a bi-unitary divisor if (d; n=d)∗∗ = 1; where the symbol (a; b)∗∗ denotes the greatest common unitary divisor of a and b. The concept of a bi-unitary divisor is due to D. Suryanarayana [12]. Let σ∗∗(n) denote the sum of bi-unitary divisors of n. The function σ∗∗(n) is multiplicative, that is, σ∗∗(1) = 1 and σ∗∗(mn) = σ∗∗(m)σ∗∗(n) whenever (m; n) = 1. If pα is a prime power and α is odd then every divisor of pα is a bi-unitary divisor; if α is even, each divisor of pα is a bi-unitary divisor except for pα/2: Hence ( α+1 σ(pα) = p −1 if α is odd; σ∗∗(pα) = p−1 (1:3) σ(pα) − pα/2 if α is even: If α is even, say α = 2k; then σ∗∗(pα) can be simplified to pk − 1 σ∗∗(pα) = :(pk+1 + 1): (1:4) p − 1 From (1.3), it is not difficult to observe that σ∗∗(n) is odd only when n = 1 or n = 2α: The concept of a bi-unitary perfect number was introduced by C.