Generalized Carleson-Newman inner functions (Q2435115)

Let \(\Theta\) be an inner function in the unit disk \(\mathbb D\) with zero set \(Z(\Theta)\). This function is said to be a \textit{generalized Carleson-Newman inner function} if for every \(\varepsilon >0\) there exists \(\delta>0\) such that if \(|\Theta(z)|<\delta\) then \[ \rho(z, Z(\Theta))<\varepsilon\,, \quad z\in\mathbb D\,. \] Here, \(\rho\) is the pseudo-hyperbolic distance in the unit disk and \[ \rho(z, Z(\Theta))=\inf\big\{\rho(z,w): w\in Z(\Theta)\big\}\,. \] Equivalently, \(\Theta\) satisfies the so-called \textit{weak embedding property (WEP)} \[ \sup_{w\in\mathbb D: \rho(w, Z(\Theta))>\varepsilon} \sum_{z\in Z(\Theta)} \frac{(1-|z|^2)(1-|w|^2)}{|1-\overline z w|}<\infty\,,\quad \varepsilon >0\,. \] In this paper, the author offers more information about generalized Carle\-son-Newman inner functions. In particular, he answers in the negative a question posed in [\textit{P. Gorkin} et al., J. Funct. Anal. 255, No. 4, 854--876 (2008; Zbl 1161.46028)] by showing that there are inner functions that do not divide generalized Carleson-Newman inner functions. He also provides new proofs of different facts about generalized Carleson-Newman inner functions that do not use notions and results pertaining to the space of the maximal ideals of \(H^\infty\).