%! TEX root = HOU.tex % vim: tw=80 ft=tex % 26/02/2026 10AM Define a norm on functions $f : G^r \to \Rbb$ by \[ \|f\| = (\|f\|_{\square, r}) = \sup_{\varphi \in \mathcal{F}} |\langle f, \varphi \rangle| = \sup_{\varphi \in \mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F})} \langle f, \varphi \rangle \] This has a dual: \[ \|\varphi\|^* = \sup_{\|f\| \le 1} \langle f, \varphi \rangle .\] By definition, $|\langle f, \varphi \rangle| \le \|f\| \|\varphi\|^*$. Note \[ \|f\| = \sup_{\varphi \in \mathcal{F}} |\langle f, \varphi \rangle| = \sup_{\varphi \in \mathcal{F}} |\Ebb_x f(x) \varphi(x)| \le \|f\|_1 ,\] and by duality \[ \|\varphi\|^* \ge \|\varphi\|_\infty .\] \begin{fclemma}[] % Lemma 3.9 \label{lemma:3.9} The unit ball of $\|\bullet\|^*$ is just $\conv(\mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F}))$. \end{fclemma} We will use Hahn--Banach to prove this. \begin{fcthm}[Hahn--Banach] % Theorem 3.10 \label{thm:3.10} Let $K$ be a closed convex body in $\Rbb^n$, and suppose $\theta \in \Rbb^n \setminus K$. Then there exists $f \in \Rbb^n$ such that $\langle f, \theta \rangle > 1$ while $\langle f, \eta \rangle \le 1 ~\forall \eta \in K$. \end{fcthm} \begin{center} \includegraphics[width=0.6\linewidth]{images/624802b916784aab.png} \end{center} \begin{proof} Suppose $\varphi \in \mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F})$. Then \[ \|\varphi\|^* = \sup_{\|f\| \le 1} \langle f, \varphi \rangle \le 1 .\] So $\varphi$ is in the unit ball of $\|\bullet\|^*$. Convex combinations of elements in $\mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F})$ are also in the unit ball by the triangle inequality. For the converse, we need Hahn--Banach. Suppose $\varphi \notin \conv(\mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F}))$. By \cref{thm:3.10}, there exists $f$ such that $\langle f, \varphi \rangle > 1$ but $\langle f, \eta \rangle \le 1 ~\forall \eta \in \conv(\mathcal{F} \cup (-\mathcal{F}))$. The latter implies $\|f\| \le 1$. But \[ 1 < \langle f, \varphi \rangle \le \|f\| \|\varphi\|^* \le \|\varphi\|^* .\] Hence $\varphi$ does not lie in the unit ball of $\|\bullet\|^*$. \end{proof} This implies that the unit ball of $\|\bullet\|^*$ is closed under multiplication. Hence, $\forall \varphi, \psi : G \to \Rbb$, then \[ \left\| \frac{\varphi}{\|\varphi\|^*} \frac{\psi}{\|\psi\|^*} \right\|^* \le 1 \quad \implies \quad \|\varphi \psi\|^* \le \|\varphi\|^* \|\psi\|^* .\] (dual norm is submultiplicative). \begin{fcthm}[Dense Model (Theorem 3.7')] % Theorem 3.7' \label{thm:3.7p} For all $\eps > 0$, if $\nu : X \to [0, \infty)$ satisfying $\|\nu - 1\| \le \exp(-\eps^{-O(1)})$ and $f : X \to [0, \infty)$ satisfies $0 \le f \le \nu$, then there exists $\tilde{f} : X \to [0, 1]$ such that $\|f - \tilde{f}\| \le \eps$. \end{fcthm} \begin{proof} Given $f : X \to [0, \infty)$, $0 \le f \le \nu$, it suffices to show that there exists $\tilde{f} : X \to \left[0, 1 + \frac{\eps}{2}\right]$ with $\|f - \tilde{f}\| \le \frac{\eps}{2}$, assuming that $\|\nu - 1\| \le \eps'$ for some sufficiently small $\eps'$. Suppose that there is no such $\tilde{f}$, i.e. $f$ cannot be written as $f = f_1 + f_2$, with \[ f_1 \in K_1 = \{g : X \to [ 0, 1 + \eps / 2 ] \} \qquad \text{and} \qquad f_2 \in K_2 = \{h : X \to \Rbb : \|h\| \le \eps / 2\} .\] In other words: we are supposing that $f \notin K_1 + K_2$. Note that $K_1$ and $K_2$ are both convex bodies, and both contain $0$. Thus $K_1 + K_2$ is convex and contains $K_1$ and $K_2$. By \nameref{thm:3.10}, there exists $\psi : X \to \Rbb$ such that $\langle f, \psi\rangle > 1$ and $\langle g, \psi \rangle \le 1 ~\forall g \in K_1 + K_2$. Taking $g = \left( 1 + \frac{\eps}{2} \right) \indicator{\psi > 0} \in K_1$, we note that \[ \langle (1 + \eps / 2)\indicator{\psi > 0}, \psi \rangle = \langle (1 + \eps / 2), \psi_+ \rangle \le 1 \] where $\psi_+(x) = \max \{0, \psi(x)\}$. Thus $\langle 1, \psi_+ \rangle \le (1 + \eps / 2)^{-1}$. On the other hand, if $\langle g, \psi \rangle \le 1 ~\forall g \in K_2$, so $\langle g', \psi \rangle \le \frac{2}{\eps}$ for all $g' : X \to \Rbb$ with $\|g'\| \le 1$. So $\|\psi\|^* \le \frac{2}{\eps}$. So far, we have \[ 1 < \langle f, \psi \rangle \le \langle f, \psi_+ \rangle \le \langle \nu, \psi_+ \rangle = \langle \nu - 1, \psi_+ \rangle + \ub{\langle 1, \psi_+ \rangle}_{\le (1 + \eps / 2)^{-1}} .\] So if we had $\|\psi_+\|^*$ bounded above, we would be done. Indeed, by Weierstrass approximation, there exists a polynomial $P$ such that \[ |P(x) - \max \{0, x\}| \le \frac{\eps}{8} \qquad \forall x \in \left[ -\frac{2}{\eps}, \frac{2}{\eps} \right] .\] Recall that earlier we used duality to show $\|\psi\|_\infty \le \|\psi\|^* \le \frac{2}{\eps}$, which is why we only need the polynomial approximation to hold in the interval $\left[ -\frac{2}{\eps}, \frac{2}{\eps} \right]$. Let $P(x) = a_d x^d + \cdots + a_1 x + a_0$. We can do this with $R \defeq \sum_{i = 0}^{d} |a_i| \left( \frac{2}{\eps} \right)^i = \exp(-\eps^{-O(1)})$. Now \[ \|P \psi\|^* \le \sum_{i = 1}^{d} |a_i| \|\psi^i\|^* \le \sum_{i = 1}^{d} |a_i| (\|\psi\|^*)^i \le R \] and \[ \langle \nu - 1, \psi_+ \rangle = \langle \nu - 1, P \psi \rangle + \langle \nu - 1, \psi_+ - P \psi \rangle \le \ub{\|\nu - 1\| \|P \psi\|^*}_{\le \eps' \cdot R} + \ub{\|\nu - 1\|_1}_{\le 1} \ub{\|\psi_+ - P\psi\|_\infty}_{\le \frac{\eps}{8}} .\] Choosing $\eps'$ such that $\eps' \cdot R \le \frac{\eps}{8}$, we arrive at a contradiction. \end{proof}