Approximation of holomorphic functions on compact subsets of \(\mathbb R^N\) (Q2257722)

Given a compact set \(K\subset\mathbb{C}^N\) and a complex-valued function \(f\) on \(K\), let \(E_n(f;K):=\inf\{\|f-Q\|_K: Q\in\mathbb{C}[z],\deg Q\leq n\}\) denote the best approximation error by polynomials of degree \(n\). (Here \(\|\cdot\|_K\) denotes the uniform norm on \(K\).) Suppose \(f\) is a bounded holomorphic function on \(K_{\lambda}:=\{z\in\mathbb{C}^N: |z-w|\leq \lambda, \forall\, w\in K \}\), where \(\lambda>0\) and \(K\subset\mathbb{C}^N\) is a fixed compact set containing at least two points. The main result of the paper, Theorem 1.2, estimates \(E_n(f;K)\) from above in terms of \(\lambda\) and \(\|f\|_{K_{\lambda}}\). As a consequence of his method, the author obtains \[ \limsup_{n\to\infty} \sqrt[n]{E_n(f;K)} \leq \frac{1}{1+\zeta(K)\lambda} \] where \(\zeta(K)\) is a positive constant defined in terms of the Siciak-Zaharjuta extremal function of \(K\) (Corollary 4.1). An example is given to show that \(\zeta(K)\) is the best possible constant. In the last two sections of the paper the author relates the Hölder continuity property (HCP) on a compact set \(K\) to a technical approximation property (condition (\(\mathcal{J}\))) on \(K\).