A lower bound for the \(L_1\)-norm of a Fourier series of power type. (Q1889497)

The following is known as Littlewood's conjecture: there exists an absolute constant \(C\) such that \[ \int^\pi_{-\pi}\,\Biggl| \sum^n_{k=1} e^{im_k x}\Biggr|\,dx\geq C\log n \] for any set of positive integers \(\{m_k\}^n_1\) and \(n= 1,2,\dots\)\ . The conjecture was proved true independently by \textit{S. V. Konyagin} [Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. Mat. 45, 243--265 (1981; Zbl 0493.42004); Engl. translation in Math. USSR, Izv. 18, 205--225 (1982; Zbl 0511.42003)] and \textit{O. C. McGehee}, \textit{L. Pigno} and \textit{B. Smith} [Ann. Math. (2) 113, 613--618 (1981; Zbl 0473.42001)]. The present paper provides the following extension of the above result: There exists an absolute constant \(C\) such that \[ \int^\pi_{-\pi}\,\Biggl| \sum^\infty_{k=1} c_k e^{im_kx}\Biggr|\, dx\geq C \sum^\infty_{j=1}\,\Biggl[\sum_{2^{j-1}\leq k< 2^j} {| c_k|^2\over k}\Biggr]^{{1\over 2}} \] for any increasing sequence of positive integers \(\{m_k\}^\infty_1\) and any sequence of coefficients \(\{c_k\}^\infty_1\). To see how exactly Littlewood's conjecture follows from here the reader should consult the paper itself as well as the above mentioned paper by McGehee at al.