Polynomial approximation on three-dimensional real-analytic submanifolds of 𝐂ⁿ

Abstract

It was once conjectured that if <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is a uniform algebra on its maximal ideal space <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and if each point of <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is a peak point for <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>, then <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper A equals upper C left-parenthesis upper X right-parenthesis"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>A</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mi>C</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">A = C(X)</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>. This peak point conjecture was disproved by Brian Cole in 1968. However, it was recently shown by Anderson and Izzo that the peak point conjecture does hold for uniform algebras generated by smooth functions on smooth two-manifolds with boundary. Although the corresponding assertion for smooth three-manifolds is false, we establish a peak point theorem for real-analytic three-manifolds with boundary.