Real Bargmann spaces, Fischer decompositions, and sets of uniqueness for polyharmonic functions (Q2482869)

It is a well known and elementary fact that any polynomial \(f\) on \(\mathbb{R} ^{n}\) can be expressed as \(f(x)=\left\| x\right\| ^{2}q(x)+r(x)\), where \(q,r\) are polynomials and \(\Delta r=0\). This significant paper establishes a remarkable generalization of this fact, as follows. Let \( A(B_{R})\) denote the algebra of all real-analytic functions, on the open ball \(B_{R}\) of centre \(0\) and radius \(R\), whose expansion in terms of homogeneous polynomials\ converges absolutely and uniformly on compact subsets of \(B_{R}\). The author shows that, for a given elliptic polynomial \(P \) of degree \(2k\) and for all sufficiently large radii \(R\), any function \(f\) in \(A(B_{R})\) can be expressed uniquely as \(f=Pq+r\), where \(q,r\in A(B_{R})\) and \(\Delta ^{k}r=0\). This result has several interesting applications to problems previously posed by other authors. One such application answers a question of Hayman by showing that, if \(\Delta ^{k}f=0\) on \(\mathbb{R}^{n}\) and \(f=0\) on \(k\) distinct ellipsoids, then \(f\equiv 0\). Another application answers a question of \textit{D. Khavinson} and \textit{H. S. Shapiro} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 24, 456--468 (1992; Zbl 0799.35030)] by characterizing ellipsoids as the only bounded domains (among those with boundary belonging to a certain class of algebraic hypersurfaces) for which the Dirichlet problem with entire boundary data always yields as solution an entire harmonic function.