A characterization of smoothness in terms of approximation by algebraic polynomials in \(L_ p\) (Q1890583)

The author characterizes the smoothness of functions in \(L_ p\), by means of their degree of approximation by algebraic polynomials in an appropriate weighted \(L_ p\) norm. The degree of approximation is estimated by means of the weight and the ordinary moduli of smoothness of the functions in \(L_ p\). The advantage of using the ordinary moduli of smoothness rather than the Ditzian-Totik moduli, is that in this way we can characterize the ordinary Lipschitz classes in \(L_ p\), denoted by \(\text{Lip}(\alpha, p)\). Indeed for Lipschitz classes the author shows that \(f\in \text{Lip}(\alpha, p)\), \(\alpha> 0\), if and only if there exist polynomials \(P_ k\), of degree \(\leq 2^ k\), \(k= 0, 1,\dots\), such that \[ \|(f(\cdot)- P_ k(\cdot))\min\{1, t/\rho_ k(\cdot)\}^ s\|_{\ell_ p(L_ p)}= O(t^ \alpha),\qquad s> \alpha, \] where \(\rho_ k(x):= 2^{- k} \sqrt{1- x^ 2}+ 2^{- 2k}\) and the norm notation here means that we take the \(\ell_ p\) norm on \(k\) of the sequence of \(L_ p\) norms. The results involving the moduli of smoothness and the suitable weight function will not be stated here.