Extension of the operator of best polynomial approximation in \(L^p(\Omega )\) (Q624615)

For a finite measure space \((\Omega,{\mathcal A},\mu)\) consider the real spaces \(L^p=L^p(\Omega)\), \(1\leq p<\infty\). Let \(S\) be the \(s\)-dimensional subspace of \(L^p\) generated by a linearly independent system \(\{\psi_j: 1\leq j\leq s\}\) of bounded measurable functions (the elements of \(S\) are called also generalized polynomials). It is well known [see, e.g., \textit{I. Singer}, Best approximation in normed linear spaces by elements of linear subspaces. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer-Verlag (1970; Zbl 0197.38601)] that the polynomial of best approximation \(P\in S\) of a function \(f\in L^p\) is characterized by the condition (1) \(\forall Q\in S\), \(\int_\Omega|f-P|^{p-1} \operatorname{sgn} (f-P)Q\,d\mu=0\). Observing that (1) makes sense even for \(f\in L^{p-1}\), the author defines the generalized best approximation polynomial of such a function as an element \(P\in S\) for which condition (1) is satisfied, and the operator of generalized best approximation \(\overline T:L^{p-1}\to S\), \(\overline T(f)=P\). In Section 3 he proves the existence and the uniqueness of the generalized best approximation polynomial of every \(f\in L^{p-1}\), \(1<p<\infty\), as well as the continuity of the generalized best approximation operator \(\overline T\). Using the density of \(L^p\) in \(L^{p-1}\) he proves also that \(\overline T\) is the unique continuous operator from \(L^{p-1}\) to \(S\) extending the usual best approximation operator \(T:L^p\to S\). The last section of the paper is concerned with the case \(p=1\), where by \(L_0\) one understands the space of all measurable functions \(f:\Omega\to \mathbb R\) such that \(\lim_{n\to\infty}\int_{\{|f|<n\}}|f/n|\,d\mu=0\), containing all spaces \(L^q\), \(q>0\).