Contracted Zero Distributions of Extremal Polynomials Associated with Slowly Decaying Weights

We consider the asymptotic zero behavior of polynomials that are extremal with respect to slowly decaying weights on [0, ∈fty) , such as the log-normal weight \exp(-γ ² log  ² x) . The zeros are contracted by taking the appropriate d _n th roots with d _n →∈fty . The limiting distribution of the contracted zeros is described in terms of the solution of an extremal problem in logarithmic potential theory with a circular symmetric external field. November 23, 1998. Date revised: February 8, 1999. Date accepted: March 2, 1999.     

Uniqueness of Markov-Extremal Polynomials on Symmetric Convex Bodies

For a compact set K\subset R ^d with nonempty interior, the Markov constants M _n (K) can be defined as the maximal possible absolute value attained on K by the gradient vector of an n -degree polynomial p with maximum norm 1 on K . It is known that for convex, symmetric bodies M _n (K) = n ² /r(K) , where r(K) is the ``half-width' (i.e., the radius of the maximal inscribed ball) of the body K . We study extremal polynomials of this Markov inequality, and show that they are essentially unique if and only if K has a certain geometric property, called flatness. For example, for the unit ball B ^d (\smallbf 0, 1) we do not have uniqueness, while for the unit cube [-1,1] ^d the extremal polynomials are essentially unique. September 9, 1999. Date revised: September 28, 2000. Date accepted: November 14, 2000.     

Polynomial Approximation on Convex Subsets of R n

Let K be a closed bounded convex subset of R ⁿ ; then by a result of the first author, which extends a classical theorem of Whitney there is a constant w _m (K) so that for every continuous function f on K there is a polynomial ϕ of degree at most m-1 so that |f(x)-ϕ(x)|≤ w_m(K) sup _{x,x+mh∈ K} |Δ_h^m(f;x)|. The aim of this paper is to study the constant w _m (K) in terms of the dimension n and the geometry of K . For example, we show that w ₂ (K)≤ (1/2) [ log ₂ n]+5/4 and that for suitable K this bound is almost attained. We place special emphasis on the case when K is symmetric and so can be identified as the unit ball of finite-dimensional Banach space; then there are connections between the behavior of w _m (K) and the geometry (particularly the Rademacher type) of the underlying Banach space. It is shown, for example, that if K is an ellipsoid then w ₂ (K) is bounded, independent of dimension, and w ₃ (K)\sim log n . We also give estimates for w ₂ and w ₃ for the unit ball of the spaces l _p ⁿ where 1≤ p≤∈fty. September 24, 1997. Dates revised: January 18, 1999 and June 10, 1999. Date accepted: June 25, 1999.     

Weighted polynomial approximation with Freud weights

We show that ifw(x)=exp(–|x|), then in the case =1 for every continuousf that vanishes outside the support of the corresponding extremal measure there are polynomialsP _n of degree at mostn such thatw ⁿ P _n uniformly tends tof, and this is not true when <1. these=" are=" the=" missing=" cases=" concerning=" approximation=" by=" weighted=" polynomials=" of=" the=">w ⁿ P _n wherew is a Freud weight. Our second theorem shows that even if we are only interested in approximation off on the extremal support, the functionf must still vanish at the endpoints, and we actually determine the (sequence of) largest possible intervals where approximation is possible. We also briefly discuss approximation by weighted polynomials of the formW(a_nx)P _n (x).Communicated by Edward B. Saff.     

On a Conjecture of E. A. Rakhmanov

It is shown that a conjecture of E. A. Rakhmanov is true concerning the zero distribution of orthogonal polynomials with respect to a measure having a discrete real support. We also discuss the case of extremal polynomials with respect to some discrete L _p -norm, 0 < p ≤∈fty , and give an extension to complex supports. Furthermore, we present properties of weighted Fekete points with respect to discrete complex sets, such as the weighted discrete transfinite diameter and a weighted discrete Bernstein—Walsh-like inequality. August 24, 1998. Date revised: March 26, 1999. Date accepted: April 27, 1999.     

Periodic points of nonexpansive maps and nonlinear generalizations of the Perron-Frobenius theory

Let and suppose that f : K ⁿ →K ⁿ is nonexpansive with respect to the l ₁-norm, , and satisfies f (0) = 0. Let P ₃(n) denote the (finite) set of positive integers p such that there exists f as above and a periodic point of f of minimal period p. For each n≥ 1 we use the concept of 'admissible arrays on n symbols' to define a set of positive integers Q(n) which is determined solely by number theoretical and combinatorial constraints and whose computation reduces to a finite problem. In a separate paper the sets Q(n) have been explicitly determined for 1 ≤n≤ 50, and we provide this information in an appendix. In our main theorem (Theorem 3.1) we prove that P ₃(n) = Q(n) for all n≥ 1. We also prove that the set Q(n) and the concept of admissible arrays are intimately connected to the set of periodic points of other classes of nonlinear maps, in particular to periodic points of maps g : D _g→D _g, where is a lattice (or lower semilattice) and g is a lattice (or lower semilattice) homomorphism.     

On Multivariate Adaptive Approximation

Recently, A. Cohen, R. A. DeVore, P. Petrushev, and H. Xu investigated nonlinear approximation in the space BV (R ² ). They modified the classical adaptive algorithm to solve related extremal problems. In this paper, we further study the modified adaptive approximation and obtain results on some extremal problems related to the spaces V _σ,p ^r (R ^d ) of functions of ``Bounded Variation" and Besov spaces B ^α (R ^d ). November 23, 1998. Date revised: June 25, 1999. Date accepted: September 13, 1999.     

Laurent–Padé Approximants to Four Kinds of Chebyshev Polynomial Expansions. Part II: Clenshaw–Lord Type Approximants

Laurent–Padé (Chebyshev) rational approximants P _m (w,w ^–1)/Q _n (w,w ^–1) of Clenshaw–Lord type [2,1] are defined, such that the Laurent series of P _m /Q _n matches that of a given function f(w,w ^–1) up to terms of order w ^±(m+n), based only on knowledge of the Laurent series coefficients of f up to terms in w ^±(m+n). This contrasts with the Maehly-type approximants [4,5] defined and computed in part I of this paper [6], where the Laurent series of P _m matches that of Q _n f up to terms of order w ^±(m+n), but based on knowledge of the series coefficients of f up to terms in w ^±(m+2n). The Clenshaw–Lord method is here extended to be applicable to Chebyshev polynomials of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th kinds and corresponding rational approximants and Laurent series, and efficient systems of linear equations for the determination of the Padé–Chebyshev coefficients are obtained in each case. Using the Laurent approach of Gragg and Johnson [4], approximations are obtainable for all m0, n0. Numerical results are obtained for all four kinds of Chebyshev polynomials and Padé–Chebyshev approximants. Remarkably similar results of formidable accuracy are obtained by both Maehly-type and Clenshaw–Lord type methods, thus validating the use of either.     

Nonnegative Trigonometric Polynomials

An extremal problem for the coefficients of sine polynomials, which are nonnegative in [0,π] , posed and discussed by Rogosinski and Szegő is under consideration. An analog of the Fejér—Riesz representation of nonnegative general trigonometric and cosine polynomials is proved for nonnegative sine polynomials. Various extremal sine polynomials for the problem of Rogosinski and Szegő are obtained explicitly. Associated cosine polynomials k _n (θ) are constructed in such a way that { k _n (θ) } are summability kernels. Thus, the L _p , pointwise and almost everywhere convergence of the corresponding convolutions, is established. April 26, 2000. Date revised: December 28, 2000. Date accepted: February 8, 2001.     

Behaviour of an oscillatory singular integral on weighted local Hardy spaces

The boundedness on weighted local Hardy spacesh _w ^1,p of the oscillatory singular integral

Laurent-Padé approximants to four kinds of Chebyshev polynomial expansions. Part II: Clenshaw-Lord type approximants

Laurent-Padé (Chebyshev) rational approximantsP _m (w, w ⁻¹)/Q _n (w, w ⁻¹) of Clenshaw-Lord type [2,1] are defined, such that the Laurent series ofP _m /Q _n matches that of a given functionf(w, w ⁻¹) up to terms of orderw ^±(m+n) , based only on knowledge of the Laurent series coefficients off up to terms inw ^±(m+n) . This contrasts with the Maehly-type approximants [4,5] defined and computed in part I of this paper [6], where the Laurent series ofP _m matches that ofQ _n f up to terms of orderw ^±(m+n ), but based on knowledge of the series coefficients off up to terms inw ^±(m+2n). The Clenshaw-Lord method is here extended to be applicable to Chebyshev polynomials of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th kinds and corresponding rational approximants and Laurent series, and efficient systems of linear equations for the determination of the Padé-Chebyshev coefficients are obtained in each case. Using the Laurent approach of Gragg and Johnson [4], approximations are obtainable for allm≥0,n≥0. Numerical results are obtained for all four kinds of Chebyshev polynomials and Padé-Chebyshev approximants. Remarkably similar results of formidable accuracy are obtained by both Maehly-type and Clenshaw-Lord type methods, thus validating the use of either.     

A Discrete Isoperimetric Problem

We prove that the perimeter of any convex n-gons of diameter 1 is at most n2nsin (/2n). Equality is attained here if and only if n has an odd factor. In the latter case, there are (up to congruence) only finitely many extremal n-gons. In fact, the convex n-gons of diameter 1 and perimeter n2n sin (/2n) are in bijective correspondence with the solutions of a diophantine problem.     

Riesz's Theorem for Orthogonal Matrix Polynomials

We describe the image through the Stieltjes transform of the set of solutions V of a matrix moment problem. We extend Riesz's theorem to the matrix setting, proving that those matrices of measures of V for which the matrix polynomials are dense in the corresponding ² space are precisely those whose Stieltjes transform is an extremal point (in the sense of convexity) of the image set. May 20, 1997. Date revised: January 8, 1998.     

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.     

Regularity of minimizers of semilinear elliptic problems up to dimension 4

We consider the class of semistable solutions to semilinear equations ?Δu = f(u) in a bounded smooth domain Ω of \input amssym $\Bbb R^n$ (with Ω convex in some results). This class includes all local minimizers, minimal, and extremal solutions. In dimensions n ≤ 4, we establish an a priori L^∞‐bound that holds for every positive semistable solution and every nonlinearity f. This estimate leads to the boundedness of all extremal solutions when n = 4 and Ω is convex. This result was previously known only in dimensions n ≤ 3 by a result of G. Nedev. In dimensions 5 ≤ n ≤ 9 the boundedness of all extremal solutions remains an open question. It is only known to hold in the radial case Ω = B_R by a result of A. Capella and the author. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Certain bilateral generating relations for generalized hypergeometric functions

Recently, we introduced a class of generalized hypergeometric functionsI n:(b _q)/α:(a _p) (x, w) by using a difference operator Δ _x,w , where . In this paper an attempt has been made to obtain some bilateral generating relations associated withI _n ^ga (x, w). Each result is followed by its applications to the classical orthogonal polynomials.     

On Measures Induced by Extremal Signatures in Best Real Polynomial Approximation

We consider the limit distribution of measures μ _n , that appear in extremal signatures in the best polynomial approximation of a real-valued function . Relations between structural properties of the function f and weak-star limit points of (μ _n ) _n are proved. April 4, 1996. Date revised: October 25, 1996.     

Convergence Rates of Padé and Padé-Type Approximants

A comparison is made between Padé and Padé-type approximants. LetQ_nbe thenth orthonormal polynomial with respect to a positive measureμwith compact support inC. We show that for functions of the form[formula]wherewis an analytic function on the support ofμ, Padé-type approximants with denominatorQ_ngive a successful and, in general, better approximation procedure than Padé approximation.     

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.     

On Converse Marcinkiewicz—Zygmund Inequalities in L p ,p>1

We obtain converse Marcinkiewicz—Zygmund inequalities such as for polynomials P of degree ≤ n-1 , under general conditions on the points {t _j } ⁿ _j=1 and on the function ν . The weights {μ _j } ⁿ _j=1 are appropriately chosen. We illustrate the results by applying them to extended Lagrange interpolation for exponential weights on [-1,1] . December 3, 1997. Date revised: December 7, 1998. Date accepted: January 8, 1999.