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Source. Lemma 4, printed p. 88 (PDF p. 4).

Statement. Fix 0<c<10<c<1. Suppose a family of rr distinct integers at most xx has r≥x/(log⁡x)cr\ge x/(\log x)^c, and at least r/2r/2 of its members have a proper divisor dd such that all prime factors of n/d>1n/d>1 exceed d(log⁡x)10d(\log x)^{10}. Then, for all sufficiently large xx, there is one integer dd corresponding in this sense to more than

xd(log⁡x)5\frac{x}{d(\log x)^5}

members of the family.

Full proof

For each qualifying member choose one such divisor, for example the least. Let sds_d count the members assigned to dd. These assignments are finite, 1≤d≤x1\le d\le x, and ∑dsd≥r/2\sum_d s_d\ge r/2.

If every sds_d were at most x/[d(log⁡x)5]x/[d(\log x)^5], then, writing X=log⁡xX=\log x,

x2Xc≤r2≤∑d≤xsd≤xX5∑d≤x1d≤x(1+X)X5<x2Xc\frac{x}{2X^c}\le\frac r2 \le\sum_{d\le x}s_d \le\frac{x}{X^5}\sum_{d\le x}\frac1d \le\frac{x(1+X)}{X^5} <\frac{x}{2X^c}

for all sufficiently large xx, a contradiction. Therefore one sds_d is strictly greater than the required threshold. Every assigned divisor retains the prime-gap property.

Source precision. The sentence before the source's summation must be read as existence of at least one witness divisor for each of the qualifying integers. A single divisor common to many members is the conclusion of the summation, not an assumption. Choosing one witness per integer makes the counting unambiguous.

Use. The upper proof of Theorem 2 applies this after Lemma 3 has discarded o(r)o(r) exceptions.