Approximation by lacunary polynomials and applications to universal functions (Q4451679)

The authors extend Runge's theorem on the uniform approximation by polynomials to the lacunary case. Let a subsequence \(Q\) of the non-negative integers be given, with positive lower Poisson density \[ \Delta(Q) = {2\over \pi} \limsup_{s\to\infty} \int_0^{\infty}\,{n(t)\over t}{s\over t^2+s^2}\,dt>0 \] (here \(n(t)\) is the number of elements of \(Q\) in the interval \([0,t]\)). The set of lacunary polynomials with exponents in \(Q\) is denoted by \[ {\mathcal P}_Q=\left\{P: P(z)=\sum_{\nu\in Q}\,a_{\nu}z^{\nu}\right\}. \] Using the abbreviation \(S_{\delta}(\alpha)\;(\alpha\in\mathbb R,\,\delta\in\,[0,1])\) for the closed sector of opening \(2\pi\delta\) around the halfline \(z=r\exp{(i\alpha)}\), the main result is: Suppose \(K\in{\mathcal M}\) (\({\mathcal M}\): the family of compact sets \(K\) with connected complement in \(\mathbb C\) with component containing the origin \(K_0\) being a disk) and assume that there exists a \(\delta\in\,[0,1)\) with \(K\setminus K_0 \subset S_{\delta}(\alpha)\) for some \(\alpha\). If \(\Delta(Q)>\delta\), and \(f\) is holomorphic on \(K\) with power series representation \[ f(z)=\sum_{\nu\in Q}\,f_{\nu}z^{\nu} \] in a neighborhood of the origin, then \(f\) can be uniformly approximated by polynomials \(P\in{\mathcal P}_Q\) on \(K\). Furthermore, results are derived on the existence of universal functions (i.e. limits) with lacunary power series (on \(k\in{\mathcal M}\), on the unit disk with prescribed linear shifts) and on universal lacunary power series. Nice results in a quite interesting field of research.