Rates of Best Uniform Rational Approximation of Analytic Functions by Ray Sequences of Rational Functions

In this paper, problems related to the approximation of a holomorphic function f on a compact subset E of the complex plane C by rational functions from the class of all rational functions of order (n,m) are considered. Let ρ _n,m = ρ _n,m (f;E) be the distance of f in the uniform metric on E from the class . We obtain results characterizing the rate of convergence to zero of the sequence of the best rational approximation { ρ _n,m(n) } _n=0 ^∞ , m(n)/n → θ ∈ (0,1] as n → ∞ . In particular, we give an upper estimate for the liminf _{n →∞} ρ _n,m(n) ^1/(n+m(n)) in terms of the solution to a certain minimum energy problem with respect to the logarithmic potential. The proofs of the results obtained are based on the methods of the theory of Hankel operators. June 16, 1997. Date revised: December 1, 1997. Date accepted: December 1, 1997. Communicated by Ronald A. DeVore.     

Regularity of refinable function vectors

We study the existence and regularity of compactly supported solutions φ = (φ_v) _v=0 ^/r−1 of vector refinement equations. The space spanned by the translates of φ_v can only provide approximation order if the refinement maskP has certain particular factorization properties. We show, how the factorization ofP can lead to decay of |̸_v(u)| as |u| → ∞. The results on decay are used to prove uniqueness of solutions and convergence of the cascade algorithm.     

On the Degree of Approximation by Manifolds of Finite Pseudo-Dimension

The pseudo-dimension of a real-valued function class is an extension of the VC dimension for set-indicator function classes. A class of finite pseudo-dimension possesses a useful statistical smoothness property. In [10] we introduced a nonlinear approximation width = which measures the worst-case approximation error over all functions by the best manifold of pseudo-dimension n . In this paper we obtain tight upper and lower bounds on ρ _n (W ^r,d _p , L _q ) , both being a constant factor of n ^-r/d , for a Sobolev class W ^r,d _p , . As this is also the estimate of the classical Alexandrov nonlinear n -width, our result proves that approximation of W ^r,d _p by the family of manifolds of pseudo-dimension n is as powerful as approximation by the family of all nonlinear manifolds with continuous selection operators. March 12, 1997. Dates revised: August 26, 1997, October 24, 1997, March 16, 1998, June 15, 1998. Date accepted: June 25, 1998.     

The maximal (C, α, β) operator of two-parameter walsh-fourier series

The two-parameter dyadic martingale Hardy spacesH _p are introduced and it is proved that the maximal operator of the (C, α, β) means of a two-dimensional Walsh-Fourier series is bounded from H_p to L_p (1/(α+1), 1/(β+1)<p<∞) and is of weak type (H ₁ ^# , L₁), where the Hardy space H ₁ ^# is defined by the hybrid maximal function. As a consequence, we obtain that the (C, α, β) means of a function f∈H ₁ ^# converge a.e. to the function in question. Moreover, we prove that the (C, α, β) means are uniformly bounded on H_p whenever 1/(α+1), 1/(β+1)<p<∞. Thus in case f∈H_p, the (C, α, β) means converge to f in H_p norm. The same results are proved for the conjugate (C, α, β) means, too.     

Weighted Maximum Over Minimum Modulus of Polynomials, Applied to Ray Sequences of Padé Approximants

Let a≥ 0 , ɛ >0 . We use potential theory to obtain a sharp lower bound for the linear Lebesgue measure of the set Here P is an arbitrary polynomial of degree ≤ n . We then apply this to diagonal and ray Padé sequences for functions analytic (or meromorphic) in the unit ball. For example, we show that the diagonal \left{ [n/n]\right} _n=1 ^∞ sequence provides good approximation on almost one-eighth of the circles centre 0 , and the \left{ [2n/n]\right} _n=1 ^∞ sequence on almost one-quarter of such circles. July 18, 2000. Date revised: . Date accepted: April 19, 2001.     

Convex polynomial and spline approximation inL p,O<p<∞

We prove that a convex functionf ∈ L _p[−1, 1], 0<p<∞, can be approximated by convex polynomials with an error not exceeding Cω ₃ ^ϕ (f,1/n)_p where ω ₃ ^ϕ (f,·) is the Ditzian-Totik modulus of smoothness of order three off. We are thus filling the gap between previously known estimates involving ω ₃ ^ϕ (f,1/n)_p, and the impossibility of having such estimates involving ω₄. We also give similar estimates for the approximation off by convexC ⁰ andC ¹ piecewise quadratics as well as convexC ² piecewise cubic polynomials. Communicated by Dietrich Braess     

Uniqueness of Nelsons diffusions

Let ℒ≔Δ/2+(∇φ/φ) ·∇ be a generalized Schr?dinger operator or generator of Nelsons diffusion, defined on C ^∞ ₀(D) where φ is a continuous and strictly positive function on an open domain D⊂ℝ ^d such that ∇φ∈L _loc ²(D). Some results are given about the two questions below: (i) Whether does ℒ generate a unique semigroup in L ¹(D, φ² dx)? (ii) Whether the semigroup determined by ℒ is strong Feller? Received: 21 October 1997 / Revised version: 3 September 1998     

Greedy algorithms and bestm-term approximation with respect to biorthogonal systems

The article extends upon previous work by Temlyakov, Konyagin, and Wojtaszczyk on comparing the error of certain greedy algorithms with that of best m-term approximation with respect to a general biorthogonal system in a Banach space X. We consider both necessary and sufficient conditions which cover most of the special cases previously considered. Some new results concerning the Haar system in L₁, L_∞, and BMO are also included.     

L p -Error Bounds for Hermite Interpolation and the Associated Wirtinger Inequalities

The B-spline representation for divided differences is used, for the first time, to provide L _p -bounds for the error in Hermite interpolation, and its derivatives, thereby simplifying and improving the results to be found in the extensive literature on the problem. These bounds are equivalent to certain Wirtinger inequalities. The major result is the inequality where H_Θ f is the Hermite interpolant to f at the multiset of n points Θ, and is the diameter of . This inequality significantly improves upon Beesack's inequality, on which almost all the bounds given over the last 30 years have been based. Date received: June 24, 1994 Date revised: February 4, 1996.     

Approximation of monomials by lower degree polynomials

Our topic is the uniform approximation ofx ^k by polynomials of degreen (n on the interval [–1, 1]. Our major result indicates that good approximation is possible whenk is much smaller thann ² and not possible otherwise. Indeed, we show that the approximation error is of the exact order of magnitude of a quantity,p _k,n , which can be identified with a certain probability. The numberp _k,n is in fact the probability that when a (fair) coin is tossedk times the magnitude of the difference between the number of heads and the number of tails exceedsn.     

Approximation by p -Faber polynomials in the weighted Smirnov class Ep( G,ω ) and the Bieberbach polynomials

Let G\subset C be a finite domain with a regular Jordan boundary L . In this work, the approximation properties of a p -Faber polynomial series of functions in the weighted Smirnov class E ^p (G,ω) are studied and the rate of polynomial approximation, for f∈ E ^p ( G,ω) by the weighted integral modulus of continuity, is estimated. Some application of this result to the uniform convergence of the Bieberbach polynomials π _n in a closed domain \overline G with a smooth boundary L is given. February 25, 1999. Date revised: October 20, 1999. Date accepted: May 26, 2000.     

Expectation of random polytopes

A random polytopeP _n in a convex bodyC is the convex hull ofn identically and independently distributed points inC. Its expectation is a convex body in the interior ofC. We study the deviation of the expectation ofP _n fromC asn→∞: while forC of classC ^k+1,k≥1, precise asymptotic expansions for the deviation exist, the behaviour of the deviation is extremely irregular for most convex bodiesC of classC ¹. Dedicated to my teacher and friend Professor Edmund Hlawka on the occasion of his 80^th birthday     

Cesaro Summability with Respect to Two-Parameter Walsh Systems

 The one- and two-parameter Walsh system will be considered in the Paley as well as in the Kaczmarz rearrangement. We show that in the two-dimensional case the restricted maximal operator of the Walsh–Kaczmarz (C, 1)-means is bounded from the diagonal Hardy space H ^p to L ^p for every . To this end we consider the maximal operator T of a sequence of summations and show that the p-quasi-locality of T implies the same statement for its two-dimensional version T _α. Moreover, we prove that the assumption is essential. Applying known results on interpolation we get the boundedness of T _α as mapping from some Hardy–Lorentz spaces to Lorentz spaces. Furthermore, by standard arguments it will be shown that the usual two-parameter maximal operators of the (C, 1)-means are bounded from L ^p spaces to L ^p if . As a consequence, the a.e. convergence of the (C, 1)-means will be obtained for functions such that their hybrid maximal function is integrable. Of course, our theorems from the two-dimensional case can be extended to higher dimension in a simple way. (Received 20 April 2000; in revised form 25 September 2000)     

An Adaptive Compression Algorithm in Besov Spaces

Given a function f on [0,1] and a wavelet-type expansion of f , we introduce a new algorithm providing an approximation $\tilde f of f with a prescribed number D of nonzero coefficients in its expansion. This algorithm depends only on the number of coefficients to be kept and not on any smoothness assumption on f . Nevertheless it provides the optimal rate D ^-α of approximation with respect to the L _q -norm when f belongs to some Besov space B ^α _p,∈fty whenever α>(1/p-1/q) ⁺ . These results extend to more general expansions including splines and piecewise polynomials and to multivariate functions. Moreover, this construction allows us to compute easily the metric entropy of Besov balls. June 21, 1996. Dates revised: April 9, 1998; October 14, 1998. Date accepted: October 20, 1998.     

Weighted Polynomials on Discrete Sets

 For a real interval I of positive length, we prove a necessary and sufficient condition which ensures that the continuous L _p (0 < p ⩽ ∞) norm of a weighted polynomial, P _n w ⁿ , deg P _n  ⩽ n, n ⩾ 1 is in an nth root sense, controlled by its corresponding discrete H?lder norm on a very general class of discrete subsets of I. As a by product of our main result, we establish inequalities and theorems dealing with zero distribution, zero location and sup and L _p infinite–finite range inequalities. Received April 4, 2001; in final form June 21, 2002     

Approximation Orders of FSI Spaces in L 2 (R d )

A second look at the authors' [BDR1], [BDR2] characterization of the approximation order of a Finitely generated Shift-Invariant subspace S(Φ) of L ₂ (R ^d ) results in a more explicit formulation entirely in terms of the (Fourier transform of the) generators of the subspace. Further, when the generators satisfy a certain technical condition, then, under the mild assumption that the set of 1-periodizations of the generators is linearly independent, such a space is shown to provide approximation order k if and only if contains a ψ (necessarily unique) satisfying . The technical condition is satisfied, e.g., when the generators are at infinity for some ρ>k+d . In the case of compactly supported generators, this recovers an earlier result of Jia [J1], [J2]. March 19. 1996. Date revised: September 6, 1996.     

Convergence of Rational Interpolants with Preassigned Poles

Let Ω be a domain in the extended complex plane such that ∞∈Ω . Further, let K= C / Ω and, for each n , let Q _n be a monic polynomial of degree n with all its zeros in K . This paper is concerned with whether (Q _n ) can be chosen so that, if f is any holomorphic function on Ω and P _n is the polynomial part of the Laurent expansion of Q _n f at ∞ , then (P _n /Q _n ) converges to f locally uniformly on Ω . It is shown that such a sequence (Q _n ) can be chosen if and only if either K has zero logarithmic capacity or Ω is regular. January 21, 1999. Date accepted: August 17, 1999.     

Oscillating multipliers for some eigenfunction expansions

Let P be a non-negative, self-adjoint differential operator of degree d on ℝⁿ. Assume that the associated Bochner-Riesz kernel s _R ^δ satisfies the estimate, |s _R ^δ (x, y)| ≤ C R^n/d(1+R^1/d|x - y|^-αδ+β)for some fixed constants a>0 and β. We study L^p boundedness of operators of the form m(P), m coming from the symbol class S _p ^−α . We prove that m(P) is bounded on L^P if . We also study multipliers associated to the Hermite operator H on ℝⁿ and the special Hermite operator L on ℂⁿ given by the symbols . As a special case we obtain L^p boundedness of solutions to the Wave equation associated to H and L.     

Approximation Orders of FSI Spaces in L 2 (R d )

A second look at the authors' [BDR1], [BDR2] characterization of the approximation order of a Finitely generated Shift-Invariant (FSI) subspace of L ₂(R ^d ) results in a more explicit formulation entirely in terms of the (Fourier transform of the) generators of the subspace. Further, when the generators satisfy a certain technical condition, then, under the mild assumption that the set of 1-periodizations of the generators is linearly independent, such a space is shown to provide approximation order k if and only if contains a (necessarily unique) satisfying for |j|<k , . The technical condition is satisfied, e.g., when the generators are at infinity for some >k+d. In the case of compactly supported generators, this recovers an earlier result of Jia [J1], [J2]. March 19, 1996. Dates revised: September 6, 1996, March 4, 1997.     

Measure concentration for a class of random processes

Summary.   Let X={X _i } _{i =−∞} ^∞ be a stationary random process with a countable alphabet and distribution q. Let q ^∞(·|x _{− k} ⁰) denote the conditional distribution of X ^∞=(X ₁,X ₂,…,X _n ,…) given the k-length past: