Formal power series and nearly analytic functions (Q1177100): Difference between revisions

Consider a formal power series (1) \(\sum^ \infty_{n=0}a_ nz^ n\), with complex coefficients \(a_ n\). If (2) \(| a_ n|\leq C^ n\) for all \(n\) for some constant \(C\), then (1) is convergent for \(| z| <1/C\), and it is analytic there. Conversely, given a function \(f\), analytic on \(\{z\in {\mathbb{C}}: | z| <r\}\), its power series representation \(f(z)=\sum^ \infty_{n=0}a_ nz^ n\) converges for \(| z| <r\), and we have \(| a_ n| <R^ n\) for all sufficiently large \(n\), provided that \(R>r\). It seems natural to ask whether we can associate to a given power series \(\sum^ \infty_ 0 a_ nz^ n\) a function \(f\) having that power series expansion around \(z=0\), also when (2) is violated, in which case the power series diverges unless \(z=0\). Certainly, this \(f\) cannot be analytic near \(z=0\), because its power series would then satisfy (2). It turns out that we can expect \(f\) to be nearly analytic, in the sense that \(\partial f/\partial z\) be small near \(z=0\). This is made precise in the paper; particularly, the degree of smallness of \(\partial f/\partial z\) around \(z=0\) is related to the growth of the coefficients \(\{a_ n\}^ \infty_ 0\). The spaces introduced in the paper resemble those suggested by \textit{E. M. Dyn'kin} [Mat. Sb., Nov. Ser. 89(131), 182-190 (1972; Zbl 0251.30033)]. A theorem of \textit{E. Borel} [Sur quelques points de la théorie des fonctions, Ann. École Norm., III. Sér. 12 (1895), p. 44] states that to any given formal power series \(\sum^ \infty_ 0a_ nx^ n\), there is a \(C^ \infty\) function \(f\) on the real line such that \(f^{(n)}(0)/n!=a_ n\). The extensions obtained in this paper need not be \(C^ \infty\), but the technique easily modifies to provide \(C^ \infty\) extensions \(f\) to the unit disc, and allows us to control \(|\overline\partial f|\) near the origin. Extensions need not be unique. In the paper it is studied how far two functions representing the same divergent power series expansion can deviate from one another.