The complete positive bias conjecture for Gaussian-prime representations

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Let

D2(x)=∣{p<x:p=a2+4b2, ∣a∣≡1 mod 4}∣−∣{p<x:p=a2+4b2, ∣a∣≡3 mod 4}∣.D_2(x)=\lvert\{p<x:p=a^2+4b^2,\ \lvert a\rvert\equiv1\bmod4\}\rvert-\lvert\{p<x:p=a^2+4b^2,\ \lvert a\rvert\equiv3\bmod4\}\rvert.

Here pp ranges over primes, and logarithmic scale is measured by logarithmic density, using the variable y=log⁡xy=\log x; thus a property holds for almost all xx in logarithmic scale when the corresponding set has logarithmic density one. Complete positive bias conjecture. The values of D2D_2 have a complete bias towards positive values: for almost all x∈[2,∞)x\in[2,\infty) in logarithmic scale, more than half of the primes below xx have a representation p=a2+4b2p=a^2+4b^2 with ∣a∣≡1 mod 4\lvert a\rvert\equiv1\bmod4. Precisely,

D2(x)≥0D_2(x)\geq0

for almost all xx in logarithmic scale, and

D2(x)=Ω+(xlog⁡x).D_2(x)=\Omega_{+}\left(\frac{\sqrt{x}}{\log x}\right).

This conjecture predicts a one-sided prime-number race for the two congruence classes of the odd square parameter in representations p=a2+4b2p=a^2+4b^2. It is part of the paper's heuristic model for the distribution of D2D_2; the source supplies no proof or resolution.

References

Primary source

Lucile Devin, “Discrepancies in the distribution of Gaussian primes”, arXiv:2105.02492 (2025).

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