Asymptotics for the approximation of wave functions by exponential sums (Q1900231)

In a paper by \textit{A. Kutzelnigg} [Theory of the expansion of wave functions in a Gaussian basis, Internat. J. Quantum Chem. 51, No. 6, 447-463 (1994)], the error of the approximation of wave functions of the H-atom by linear combinations of Gaussians was given as \(\exp(-\pi\sqrt{n/3})\) on the basis of numerical calculations and some asymptotic expansions. The author proves that an upper bound for this error in a weighted \(L_1\)-norm is given by \(\exp(-2\pi\sqrt{n/3})\). By a simple transformation, he gets an approximation problem for completely monotone functions by exponentials which can be solved by results from the author and results on rational approximation. The paper is closed by some remarks on the approximation of \(1/x\) on \([1,2]\) by exponentials.