The degree of shape preserving weighted polynomial approximation (Q765684)

The problem of shape-preserving weighted polynomial approximation has been considered in the last few years. In the present paper, a general weight of exponential type, \(W=e^{-Q}\), on an interval \(I=(-d,d)\), \(0<d\leq\infty\), is considered, where \(Q\) is an even function, satisfying certain other conditions. For a continuous function \(f:I\to\mathbb{R}\) and \(n,k\in\mathbb{N}\), let \[ E_n[f]_W:=\inf_{\deg(P)\leq n}\| (f-P)W\|_{\mathrm{L}_{\infty}(I)} \] and \[ E_n^{(k)}[f]_W:=\inf_{\deg(P)\leq n}\{\| (f-P)W\|_{\mathrm{L}_{\infty}(I)}:P \text{ is } k\text{-monotone on }I\}. \] The main result gives a majorization of \(E_{n+l_n+k}^{(k)}[f]_W\), with \(2\leq l_n\leq An+1\), \(A>1\), in terms of both \(E_n[f^{(k)}]_W\) and \(\| f^{(k)}W\|_{\mathrm{L}_{\infty}(I)}\), for every function \(f:I\to\mathbb{R}\), which is \(k\) times continuously differentiable, \(k\)-monotone and for which \(\lim_{|x|\to d-}(f^{(k)}W)(x)=0\) holds. This estimate is expressed with the aid of the \(n\)-th Mhaskar-Rakhmanov-Saff number for \(Q\). The proof is based on some technical lemmas and uses potential theory. Some particular cases for \(Q\) are discussed, which lead to simpler estimates, including \(Q(x)=|x|^{\alpha}\), when \(W\) becomes a Freud weight.