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The Dirichlet convolution of arithmetic functions $f$ and $g$ isIt is associative and commutative, its identity is the function supported at $1$, and the Möbius function is the convolution inverse of the constant-one function.

The Mertens function is the summatory Möbius function

For $n>1$, expand ${\prod }_{p\mid n}(1-1)=0$ over the subsets of its distinct prime divisors. The coefficient of a squarefree divisor is its Möbius function value; nonsquarefree divisors have value zero. At $n=1$ the empty product is one. This identity is the multiplicative cancellation behind Möbius inversion and reciprocal Dirichlet series.

Let $\mu$ be the Möbius function. Its Möbius divisor-sum identity isIndeed, for $n>1$ the sum is the expansion of ${\prod }_{p\mid n}(1-1)$; nonsquarefree divisors contribute zero. Thus, for arithmetic functions $a,b$,To prove Möbius inversion, substitute the first formula into the second and collect the coefficient of $a(e)$. It is ${\sum }_{d\mid n/e}\mu (d)$, which is one for $e=n$ and zero otherwise. Conversely the same divisor interchange recovers $b$ from the displayed formula for $a$. In Dirichlet convolution notation this is simply $\mu \ast 1=\epsilon$, where $\epsilon$ is supported at one.

The Prime number theorem with classical zero-free-region error states that some absolute $c>0$ satisfiesHere $\Lambda$ is the Von Mangoldt function. An equivalent prime-counting form, after decreasing $c$ if needed, is $\pi (x)=\mathrm{Li}(x)+O(x{e}^{-c\sqrt{\log x}})$. The contributions of proper prime powers are $O(\sqrt{x}{\log }^{2}x)$ and can be absorbed into this error. We use $\Psi$ to keep it distinct from the Fourier transform appearing in Question 5.

Here is a direct deduction of the requested Mertens bound from a log-integrable Chebyshev error from the stated Prime number theorem. First, the divisor identity givesSecond, the exact Dirichlet convolution identityfollows from $\log =1\ast \Lambda$: multiplication of a Dirichlet convolution by $\log n$ differentiates its two factors, so applying it to $\mu \ast 1=\epsilon$ and convolving again with $\mu$ gives this formula. Summing it yieldsThe last harmonic sum is $O(1)$. To see this without an endpoint approximation, split $x/d$ into dyadic ranges $[2^j,2^{j+1})$. In each range $\sum 1/d=O(1)$, and its exponential factor is at most $e^{-c\sqrt{j\log 2}}$. Their sum over $j\ge 0$ converges. The finitely many terms with $1\le x/d<2$ obey the same estimate after adjusting the constant in the prime-number-theorem error. ThereforeFor the Mertens function $M(x)={\sum }_{n\le x}\mu (n)$,The second sum has absolute value at most ${\sum }_{n\le x}\log (x/n)=O(x)$, by an integral comparison or the Stirling formula. ConsequentlyThe absolute value in this conclusion is present in the original PDF.

The Möbius function has $\mu (1)=1$, vanishes on integers divisible by a square of a prime, and equals $(-1{)}^r$ on a product of $r$ distinct primes. Factoring the divisor sum prime by prime givesThis is the Möbius divisor-sum identity.

For $T/2\le t\le T$ and $0<\sigma \le 1$, the Hardy-Littlewood approximation to the Riemann zeta function at cutoff $T$ givesIndeed $T\ge |t|/\pi$, and the omitted integral term has size at most $T^{1-\sigma }/|s-1|\ll T^{-\sigma }$. Multiply by ${\sum }_{m\le M}\mu (m)m^{-s}$. Its absolute value is at mostwhere the elementary inequality follows from $m^{1-\sigma }\le M^{1-\sigma }$. Reindexing the finite double sum yields coefficients $a_n={\sum }_{m\mid n,m\le M,n/m\le T}\mu (m)$, with no terms for $n>MT$. For $n\le \min (M,T)$ all divisors meet both restrictions, so the Möbius divisor-sum identity gives $a_1=1$ and $a_n=0$ for $1<n\le \min (M,T)$. Hence the truncated Möbius inverse identity for the Riemann zeta function isThe displayed error is uniform in $0<\sigma \le 1$ and the stated height interval.

Finite rearrangement and the Von Mangoldt divisor identity giveFor $m=\lfloor x\rfloor$, integral comparison of the increasing logarithm gives $\log (m!)=m\log m-m+O(\log (m+1))$. Moving $m$ to real $x$ changes the main term by $O(\log (x+1))$. Thus the integrated Chebyshev sum hasFor $x\ge 2$, chooseThese are logarithmic Möbius function weights; they need not be upper-bound sieve weights. For $n\le x$, the Möbius inversion identities $\mu \ast 1=ϵ$ and $\mu \ast \log =\Lambda$ giveHence the expression suggested in the question isWe will use the elementary Möbius harmonic logarithmic moments, $A_j(x)={\sum }_{d\le x}\mu (d){\log }^j(x/d)/d$, for whichHere is a proof of the needed estimates. From ${\sum }_d\mu (d)\lfloor x/d\rfloor =1$, replacing floors by $x/d+O(1)$ gives $A_0=O(1)$. Also ${\sum }_d\mu (d)H_{\lfloor x/d\rfloor }/d=1$, because $\mu \ast 1=ϵ$. Substituting the permitted harmonic number estimate $H_{\lfloor t\rfloor }=\log t+\gamma +O(1/t)$ gives $A_1+\gamma A_0=1+O(1)$, so $A_1=O(1)$.

For $A_2$, the weighted Dirichlet hyperbola method gives the harmonic divisor sum expansionExplicitly, for $r=\lfloor \sqrt{t}\rfloor$, $B(t)=2{\sum }_{a\le r}{H}_{\lfloor t/a\rfloor }/a-H_r^2$. Substitute the harmonic estimate and ${\sum }_{a\le r}(\log a)/a=\frac{1}{2}{\log }^{2}r+c\prime +O(\log (2r)/r)$, obtained by unit-interval integral comparison. This proves the expansion without a prime-distribution theorem. Since $\tau =1\ast 1$, we have $\mu \ast \tau =1$, and thereforeThe summed error is bounded by $x^{-1/2}{\sum }_{d\le x}{d}^{-1/2}\log (2x/d)=O(1)$, by integral comparison. Thus $A_2=2\log x+O(1)$.

Finally substitute the asymptotic for $T$ into $F$. The main term isThe error sum is $O(x)$: partition the integers $d$ into $x/2^{j+1}<d\le x/2^j$; each interval contributes $O(x(j+1{)}^2/2^j)$, and the resulting series converges. Using the moment estimates proves the Selberg symmetry formula:In particular, the factor two comes from the quadratic logarithmic moment, rather than from an assumption of the Prime number theorem.

The Euler totient function counts integers $1\le a\le n$ with $\gcd (a,n)=1$. The Möbius function has $\mu (1)=1$, is zero when a prime square divides $n$, and equals $(-1{)}^r$ when $n$ is a product of $r$ distinct primes. Consequentlybecause for $n>1$ the sum over squarefree divisors is $(1-1{)}^r$.

The Möbius inversion formula is $g(n)={\sum }_{d\mid n}\mu (d)f(n/d)$. Substituting the divisor sum defining $f$ and collecting the coefficient of $g(e)$ givesThis proof uses only finite sums, so no convergence hypothesis is needed.

Classifying $1,\dots ,n$ by their greatest common divisor with $n$ gives ${\sum }_{d\mid n}\phi (d)=n$: the class with greatest common divisor $n/d$ contains exactly $\phi (d)$ integers. Applying the Möbius inversion formula yieldsThe Riemann zeta function is $\zeta (s)={\sum }_{n\ge 1}{n}^{-s}$ for $\mathrm{Re}s>1$. Absolute convergence justifies multiplication of Dirichlet series. The divisor identity for the Möbius function gives $\sum \mu (n)n^{-s}=1/\zeta (s)$ there. For $\mathrm{Re}s>2$ both factors below converge absolutely, and their Dirichlet convolution is the Euler totient function:

The Möbius function has $\mu (1)=1$, $\mu (n)=0$ when $n$ is divisible by a prime square, and $\mu (n)=(-1{)}^r$ when $n$ is a product of $r$ distinct primes. The Riemann zeta function is initially the Dirichlet series $\zeta (s)={\sum }_{n\ge 1}{n}^{-s}$ for $\sigma =\Re s>1$. Both this Dirichlet series and $\sum \mu (n)n^{-s}$ have absolute convergence, because $|\mu (n)|\le 1$ and $\sum n^{-\sigma }<\infty$.

For a finite set of primes $p\le y$, multiplication of absolutely convergent geometric series and unique prime factorization giveEvery omitted integer has a prime factor exceeding $y$, so it exceeds $y$. The difference from $\zeta (s)$ has absolute value at most ${\sum }_{n>y}{n}^{-\sigma }\to 0$. This proves the Euler product, with the product interpreted as the limit of its finite products:

For the reciprocal identity, absolute convergence justifies multiplying and regrouping the two Dirichlet series by their product index. Their Dirichlet convolution coefficient at $m$ isThe coefficient calculation uses only the squarefree integers dividing $m$. Consequently the reciprocal identity is an identity of absolutely convergent series:

An arithmetic function $f$ is multiplicative if $f(mn)=f(m)f(n)$ whenever $m$ and $n$ are coprime integers. If $g(n)={\sum }_{d\mid n}f(d)$ and $(m,n)=1$, every positive integer divisor of $mn$ is uniquely $d_1{d}_2$ with $d_1\mid m$ and $d_2\mid n$. Henceso $g$ is multiplicative.

The Möbius function is defined by $\mu (1)=1$, $\mu (n)=0$ if the square of a prime number divides $n$, and $\mu (n)=(-1{)}^r$ if $n$ is a product of $r$ distinct prime numbers. Coprime integers have disjoint sets of prime factors, so this definition immediately gives $\mu (mn)=\mu (m)\mu (n)$ when $(m,n)=1$.

For $n=p_1^{a_1}\cdots p_r^{a_r}>1$, only the square-free divisors contribute, and thereforeFor $n=1$ the sum is $1$. Thus $1\ast \mu =\epsilon$ in the language of Dirichlet convolution. Convolving $g=1\ast f$ with $\mu$ gives the Möbius inversion formula

If $f(n)=n$, its divisor sum is the sum-of-divisors function. Conversely, if $g(n)=n$, Möbius inversion givesusing the standard divisor identity for the Euler totient function. Therefore the two requested answers are

An arithmetic function $f$ is multiplicative when $f(1)=1$ and $f(mn)=f(m)f(n)$ whenever $m$ and $n$ are coprime. If $m$ and $n$ are coprime, every divisor $d$ of $mn$ has a unique factorization $d=d_1{d}_2$ with $d_1\mid m$ and $d_2\mid n$. Hence the Dirichlet convolution of multiplicative functions satisfiesand $(f\star g)(1)=1$, so it is multiplicative.

Let $\epsilon$ be the identity for Dirichlet convolution, with $\epsilon (1)=1$ and $\epsilon (n)=0$ for $n>1$. The Möbius function satisfies $\mu \star 1=\epsilon$. Therefore, using commutativity and associativity,This is the Möbius inversion formula.

The Möbius function is defined by $\mu (1)=1$ and, for $n>1$,It is a multiplicative arithmetic function: $\mu (mn)=\mu (m)\mu (n)$ whenever $m$ and $n$ are coprime.

The summand $\mu (d{)}^2/\varphi (d)$ is multiplicative, so its divisor sum is multiplicative. For a prime power $p^a$ with $a\ge 1$, only $d=1,p$ contribute andMultiplying these local identities over the prime divisors of $n$ gives

For the final claim, choose distinct primes $p_0,\dots ,p_k$. The moduli $p_j^2$ are pairwise coprime, so the Chinese remainder theorem gives an integer $a$ satisfyingEvery positive integer $n\equiv a(\mathrm{mod}{\prod }_j{p}_j^2)$ then has $p_j^2\mid n+j$. HenceThere are infinitely many positive representatives of this congruence class.

If $m$ and $n$ are coprime, every divisor of $mn$ is uniquely $ab$ with $a\mid m$ and $b\mid n$. Hence, for a multiplicative arithmetic function $f$,

The Möbius function is $\mu (n)=0$ if a prime square divides $n$, and $\mu (n)=(-1{)}^r$ if $n$ is a product of $r$ distinct primes. The Euler totient function $\varphi (n)$ counts residues modulo $n$ coprime to $n$. From the prime factorizations,Both sides of the second identity are multiplicative, and at a prime power $p^a$,Therefore

WriteThe sifting function isFor each integer $a$, Möbius inversion in its divisor-indicator form givesSumming over the finite set $A$ and interchanging the finite sums yieldsThis is the inclusion-exclusion formula encoded by the Möbius function.

Let $1(n)=1$. The basic Von Mangoldt divisor identity isbecause if $n={\prod }_p{p}^{v_p(n)}$, the right-hand side is ${\sum }_p{v}_p(n)\log p=\log n$. In terms of Dirichlet convolution, this says $\log =1\ast \Lambda$. Since the Möbius function is the convolution inverse of $1$, convolving with $\mu$ gives $\Lambda =\mu \ast \log$. Consequently

The möbius function is $mu(1)=1$, $mu(n)=0$ if a prime square divides $n$, and $mu(n)=(-1{)}^r$ when $n$ is a product of $r$ distinct primes. The Riemann zeta function is $zeta(s)={\sum }_{n\ge 1}{n}^{-s}$ for $\Re s>1$.

Both sides of the proposed identity are multiplicative. At $n=p^a$, the right side is $1$ for $a=0,1$ and $1+\mu (p)=0$ for $a\ge 2$, exactly $mu(p^a{)}^2$. Absolute convergence permits rearrangement, so

Because $\mu (p)=-1$, the squared pretentious distance from one to the Möbius function is twice the reciprocal-prime sum. The Mertens second theorem therefore gives $D(1,\mu ;X{)}^2=2\log \log X+2B_1+o(1)$. In particular the distance diverges, illustrating that a multiplicative function can be far from the constant function even though both have unit-modulus prime values.