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.