# Difference between revisions of "Littlewood problem"

The Littlewood problem for compatible Diophantine approximations is the question of the existence, for any real numbers $\alpha,\,\beta,\,\epsilon>0$, of a natural number $n$ such that $n \cdot \Vert n\alpha \Vert \cdot \Vert n\beta \Vert < \epsilon$, where $\Vert x \Vert$ is the distance from $x$ to the nearest integer. In certain cases, for example for rational $\alpha$ and $\beta$, and for numbers $\alpha$ and $\beta$ one of which can be represented by a continued fraction with non-negative elements, the Littlewood problem has an affirmative answer.

The Littlewood problem for integrals is the problem whether for an arbitrary increasing sequence $M$ of natural numbers $(m_k)$, $k=1,2,\ldots$, one has $$\label{eq:1} \int_0^1 \left\vert { \sum_{k=1}^n \exp(2\pi i m_k x) }\right\vert dx > f(n)$$ with $f(n) = C \log n$, where $C > 0$ is an absolute constant and $n > n_0$. The following estimates have been obtained: either weaker estimates in comparison with \eqref{eq:1} for arbitrary sequences $M$, or estimates close to \eqref{eq:1} or even coinciding with this estimate, but for special sequences $M$.

The Littlewood problems were stated by J.E. Littlewood (see [1]).

#### References

 [1] G.H. Hardy, J.E. Littlewood, "A new proof of a theorem on rearrangements" J. London Math. Soc. , 23 (1948) pp. 163–168 [2] J.W.S. Cassels, "An introduction to the geometry of numbers" , Springer (1959)