Bernstein-Walsh type theorems for real analytic functions in several variables (Q628673): Difference between revisions

According to the classical Bernstein theorem (1914), a function \(f:\;[-1,1]\to \mathbb C\) has a holomorphic extension to the ellipse \(\{z\in\mathbb C:\;|z+\sqrt{z^2-1}|<R\}\), where \(R>1\) and the branch of the square root is chosen such that \(x+\sqrt{x^2-1}>1\) for \(x>1\), if and only if \centerline{\(\rho(f;[-1,1]):=\limsup\limits_{n\to\infty}\root n\of{\text{dist}_{[-1,1]}(f,\mathcal P_n)}\leq 1.\)} \noindent Here \(\text{dist}_{[-1,1]}(f,\mathcal P_n):=\inf\{\max\limits_{x\in[-1,1]}|f(x)-p(x)|:\;p\in\mathcal P_n\}\), \(\mathcal P_n\) denoting the space of all complex polynomials \(P\) with \(\deg\,P\leq n\). \textit{J. L. Walsh} and \textit{H. G. Russell} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 36, 13--28 (1934; Zbl 0008.21402; JFM 60.0252.01)] extended Bernstein's result to the case where \([-1,1]\) is replaced with a compact subset \(K\) of the complex plane \(\mathbb C\) with connected component \(\mathbb C\setminus K\) such that for \((\mathbb C\cup\{\infty\})\setminus K\) the Green's function with pole at \(\infty\) exists. \textit{J. Siciak} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 105, No. 2, 322--357 (1962; Zbl 0111.08102)] achieved a generalization of the Bernstein-Walsh result to the case of a polynomially convex compact subset \(K\) of \(\mathbb C^N\) such that the (introduced by him) extremal function \centerline{\(\Phi_K(z):=\sup\left\{|p(z)|^{1/\deg\,p}\right\}\),} \noindent where the supremum is spread over all polynomials \(p:\;\mathbb C^N\to\mathbb C\) of degree \(\geq 1\) such that \(\sup|p(K)|\leq 1\), is continuous in \(\mathbb C^N\). (Note that if \(N=1\), \(\log\Phi_K\) is the Green's function for \(\mathbb C\cup\{\infty\})\setminus K\) with pole at \(\infty\).) The main result of this paper is the following Theorem.\ Let \(K\) be a compact subset of \(\mathbb C^N\) such that the function \(\Phi_K\) is continuous in \(\mathbb C^N\). Let \(L:=\{(\Re z,\Im z):\;z\in K\}\) and let \(R>1\). Moreover, let \(F:\;L\to\mathbb C\) be of the form \(F(x,y)=g(x+iy)\overline{h(x+iy)}\), where \(g,h\) are holomorphic functions in an open connected neighborhood of \(K\). Then \centerline{\(\rho(F;L):=\limsup\limits_{n\to\infty}\root n\of{\text{dist}_L(F,\mathcal P_n)}\leq\frac{1}{R}\)}\noindent if \(g\) and \(h\) have holomorphic extensions to \(\{z\in\mathbb C^N:\;\Phi_K(z)<R\}\). The opposite implication need not be true, which is seen by the example of \(K:=\{z\in\mathbb C:\;|\Re z|\leq1,|\Im z|\leq1\}\) and \(h(z)=g(z)=\frac1{z-a}\) with \(a>1\). The author shows that, in general, one has \(1/\rho(F;L)\geq\min\{1/\rho(g;K),1/\rho(h;K)\}\) with equality in case \(K\) is either a closed ball or a polydisk in \(\mathbb C^N\).