The best approximation and composition with inner functions (Q1907022)

Let \(f\in L^P (T)\) on the unit circle \(P\). The authors study the best approximation of \(f\) by polynomials of degree \(n\) in the \(L^P\) metric \[ E_n (f)= \inf\{ |f-g|_P, \;g\in P_n\}. \] In particular they prove for \(F\in H^P\) \((1<p< +\infty)\) and an inner function \(w\), with \(w(0) =0\) that \(E_n (\text{F(w})\geq E_n (F)\). As an application of this inequality for an inner function \(\varphi\) with a nonconstant singular factor they find the following estimate \[ E_n (\varphi)\geq cn^{-1/2p}, \qquad c>0. \] The result is sharp and extends earlier estimation, due to Newman and Shapiro for \(p=2\).