On a subclass of approximable functions on closed subsets (Q643196)

For a closed set \(E\subset {\mathbb C}\), let \(A(E)\) denote the class of functions which are continuous on \(E\) and analytic in the interior of \(E\). The following result is a well-known theorem of \textit{S. N. Mergelyan} [``On the representation of functions by series of polynomials on closed sets'' (Russian), Dokl.\ Akad.\ Nauk SSSR 68, 405--408 (1951)]: Theorem A. Let \(E\subset {\mathbb C}\) be a compact set. Then \({\mathbb C} \setminus E\) is connected if and only if every function in \(A(E)\) can be uniformly approximated on \(E\) by polynomials. \textit{N. U. Arakelyan} [Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 28, 1187--1206 (1964; Zbl 0143.29602)] extended Theorem A to the case of approximation by entire functions. A closed set \(F\subset {\mathbb C}\) is called an Arakelian set if its complement has no bounded components and, for every closed disk \(B\subset {\mathbb C}\), the union of all bounded components of the complement of \(F\cup B\) is a bounded set. Theorem B. Let \(F\subset {\mathbb C}\) be a compact set. Then \(F\) is an Arakelian set if and only if every function in \(A(F)\) can be uniformly approximated on \(F\) by entire functions. Let \(K\) be a compact set in the complex plane such that \({\mathbb C} \setminus K\) is not connected. Let \(f\in A(K)\). Then Mergelyan's theorem implies that \(f\) can be uniformly approximated on \(K\) by polynomials if and only if \(f\) can be extended to a function in the class \(A(F)\) where \(F\) is the polynomial hull of \(K\). Let \(E\) be an arbitrary non-Arakelian set. In 1970, \textit{N. U. Arakelyan} [Actes Congr. internat. Math. 1970, 2, 595--600 (1971; Zbl 0234.30029)] formulated the problem of description of the functions in \(A(E)\) which can be approximated on \(E\) by entire functions. A solution of this problem in terms of a certain decomposition of \(f\) was obtained by \textit{A. Stray} [Ann. Math. (2) 120, 225--235 (1984; Zbl 0568.30035)]. Unlike to polynomial approximation there exists a closed non-Arakelian set \(E\) and a function \(f\in A(E)\) such that (i) \(f\) can be approximated on \(E\) by entire functions and (ii) for any Arakelian set \(F\) with \(E\subset F\), the function \(f\) cannot be extended to a function in the class \(A(F)\). The authors describe those \(f\in A(E)\) which can be extended to a function in \(A(F)\) for an Arakelian set \(F\supset E\). Definition. Let \(E\) be a non-Arakelian closed set. Suppose \(\varepsilon>0\) is given. A set \(E_\varepsilon\) is called an \(\varepsilon\)-entire function hull of \(E\) if (i) \(E_\varepsilon\) is an Arakelian set, (ii) \(E\subset E_\varepsilon\), and (iii) \(\partial E_\varepsilon\subset \partial E \cup \bigcup_n (a_n, b_n)\) where \((a_n, b_n)\) is a circular open arc centered at the origin with length less than \(\varepsilon\) and \(a_n, b_n \in E_\varepsilon\). Theorem. Let \(E\) be a non-Arakelian closed set, and let \(f\in A(E)\). Then there exists an Arakelian set \(F\supset E \) such that \(f\) can be extended to a function belonging to \(A(F)\) if and only if there exists an \(\varepsilon\)-entire function hull \(E_\varepsilon\) of \(E\) such that \(f\) can be extended to a function in \(A(E_\varepsilon)\).