\(H\)-sets for kernel-based spaces (Q6093306)

H-sets are a classical instrument going back to Collatz to generalise the approach to characterising and computing (by the so-called exchange algorithm) univariate best uniform approximants (Chebyshev approximations). The purpose of this article is to generalise this concept further, namely to more than one variables. Essentially, the H-set conditions pose a requirement on the point set \(H\subseteq T\) that enables the classical estimates in the characterisation of best uniform approximations to hold. That is, that there is no element \(v\) from the set of approximants \(V\subseteq C(T)\) that has the property that \(\operatorname{sign}(h)v(h)<0\) for all \(h\in H\). This implies for an approximation \(\tilde v\in V\) \[ \|f-v\|_\infty \geq (f(h)-v(h))\operatorname{sign}(h) = (f(h)-\tilde v(h))\operatorname{sign}(h)+(\tilde v(h)-v(h))\operatorname{sign}(h) \] must be equal to \[ (f(h)-\tilde v(h))\operatorname{sign}(h), \] and so \[ \inf_{v\in V}\|f-v\|_\infty \geq (f(\tilde h)-\tilde v(\tilde h))\operatorname{sign}(\tilde h)\geq\inf_{h\in H}(f(h)-\tilde v(h))\operatorname{sign}(h) \] for some \(\tilde h \in H\). In this paper, first, an equivalent formulation of the H-set property in terms of a linear optimisation problem with simple constraints is established. This can then be used for the numerical computation when we wish to verify the H-set property. Also, second, a multivariable equivalent of the H-set property for kernel-based (e.g., radial basis functions) approximation spaces is given, also as a consequence of the mentioned linear optimisation problem, including a numerical example.