An extremal function for the multiplier algebra of the universal Pick space (Q1766873)

The Hilbert space \(H^2_m\) is the space of functions on the unit ball in \(\mathbb C^m\) with reproducing kernel \(k(z,w) = \frac{1}{1-\langle z,w\rangle}\). The kernel \(k\) is a complete Pick kernel which in the case \(m=1\) is the well known Szegő kernel. If \(\Omega\) is a domain in \(\mathbb C^m\) and \(A\) is a zero set for \(H^{\infty}(\Omega)\), then the {Carathéodory } function, \(\delta^*\), is defined by \[ \delta^*(z,A) = \sup\{ \log| f(z)| : f \in H^{\infty}(\Omega),\;\| f\| _{H^{\infty}} \leq 1,\;f| A = 0 \}. \] The author considers a new extremal function \(E(z,A)\) which is an analogue of \(\delta^*(z,A)\) and is defined by \[ E(z,A) = \sup\{\log \text{Re}\{ \phi(z)\} : \phi \in \text{Mult}(H^2_m), \| \phi\| _{\text{Mult}(H^2_m)} \leq 1,\;\phi| A = 0\} \] where \(A\) is the intersection of zero sets (a weak zero set) and \(\text{Mult}(H^2_m)\) is the algebra of multipliers of \(H^2_m\). The function \(E\) is called the \(\text{Mult}(H^2_m)\) {extremal function} for \(A\) as opposed to the \(H^2_m\) extremal function for \(A\) which the author defines as \[ F(z,A) = \sup\{\log \text{Re}\{ f(z)\} : f \in H^2_m,\;\| f\| _{H^2_m} \leq 1,\;f| A = 0\}. \] The author establishes basic properties of \(E\) and \(F\) including that both are plurisubharmonic on the unit ball \(B^m\), continuous on \(B^m\setminus A\), and \[ F(z,A) = E(z,A) + \frac{1}{2}\log\frac{1}{1-\| z\| ^2}. \] The relationship to the pluricomplex Green function and the Carathéodory function are considered and a different proof is given that for \(m\geq 2\), there is no Pick kernel on \(B^m\) whose multiplier algebra is \(H^{\infty}(B^m)\) . Additionally, the boundary behavior of \(E\) is examined and some examples are considered where \(A\) is a one or two point set.