On a problem due to Littlewood concerning polynomials with unimodular coefficients

DOI10.1007/S00041-013-9265-6zbMATH Open1315.42002arXiv1302.2766OpenAlexW2592521919MaRDI QIDQ485151FDOQ485151

Kai-Uwe Schmidt

Publication date: 9 January 2015

Published in: The Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Littlewood raised the question of how slowly ||f_n||_4^4-||f_n||_2^4 (where ||.||_r denotes the L^r norm on the unit circle) can grow for a sequence of polynomials f_n with unimodular coefficients and increasing degree. The results of this paper are the following. For g_n(z)=sum_{k=0}^{n-1}e^{pi ik^2/n} z^k the limit of (||g_n||_4^4-||g_n||_2^4)/||g_n||_2^3 is 2/pi, which resolves a mystery due to Littlewood. This is however not the best answer to Littlewood's question: for the polynomials h_n(z)=sum_{j=0}^{n-1}sum_{k=0}^{n-1} e^{2pi ijk/n} z^{nj+k} the limit of (||h_n||_4^4-||h_n||_2^4)/||h_n||_2^3 is shown to be 4/pi^2. No sequence of polynomials with unimodular coefficients is known that gives a better answer to Littlewood's question. It is an open question as to whether such a sequence of polynomials exists.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1302.2766

zbMATH Keywords

polynomialsmerit factorLittlewood problemunimodular coefficients

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Special sequences and polynomials (11B83) Polynomials and rational functions of one complex variable (30C10) Trigonometric polynomials, inequalities, extremal problems (42A05)

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Cited In (5)

• Do flat skew-reciprocal Littlewood polynomials exist?
• Proof of a conjecture about unimodal polynomials
• Merit factors of polynomials formed by Jacobi symbols
• Sequences with small correlation
• Flat Polynomials on the unit Circle-Note on a Problem of Littlewood

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