Positivstellensätze for real function algebras (Q415477)

The article under review seeks Positivstellensätze (i.e., certificates of positivity) for functions which are not necessarily polynomials. Similar questions were examined using more functional analytic approaches by \textit{J. B. Lasserre} and \textit{M. Putinar} [``Positivity and optimization for semi-algebraic functions'', SIAM J. Optim. 20, No. 6, 3364--3383 (2010; Zbl 1210.14068)] and by \textit{M. Putinar} [``A striktpositivstellensatz for measurable functions'', C. R., Math., Acad. Sci. Paris 347, No. 7--8, 381--384 (2009); corrigendum ibid. 348, No. 1--2, 63 (2010; Zbl 1162.47015)]. Usually real algebraic geometers consider the \(\mathbb{R}\)-algebra \(A\) of real polynomials on some real variety, and positivity on a subset \(K\) of the real points of this variety. In the paper under review \(A\) is simply a finitely generated algebra \(A\) of real valued functions on some set \(X\). To \(A\) corresponds a real variety \(Y\) (e.g.~the set of all real algebra homomorphisms on \(A\)). All the known Positivstellensätze can be applied when considering elements of \(A\) as functions on \(Y\). The contribution of this paper is to examine systematically under which conditions the obvious positivity on \(X\) implies the ``hidden'' positivity on \(Y\) needed to apply classical results. This nicely written article also contains many instructive examples illustrating the theory developed.