Power series equivalent to rational functions: a shifting - origin Kronecker type theorem, and normality of Padé tables (Q1097431)

Let f(z) be analytic near 0. In computing Padé approximants to f(z), problems often arise due to the non-normality of the Padé table of f(z). We show that this difficulty can be circumvented by slightly ``shifting the origin''. More precisely, there is an at most countable set \({\mathcal S}\), such that if \(u\not\in {\mathcal S}\), then the Padé table formed from the Taylor series of f(z) at \(z=u\), is normal. This result is an immediate consequence of the following ``shifting origin'' Kronecker type theorem. For m,n\(\geq 0\), u near 0, define \[ D(m/n;u):=\det [f^{(m+j-k))}(u)/(m+j-k)!]^ n_{j,k=1}. \] Then f(z) is a rational function if and only if there exists a single pair of integers (m,n), for which D(m/n;u) vanishes identically for u in a neighbourhood of zero. The point is, that in Kronecker's theorem, one requires \(D(m/n;0)=0\) for all m,n large enough.