Essentials of Padé Approximants

The Pade approximation problem is, roughly speaking, the local approximation of analytic or meromorphic functions by rational ones. It is known to be important to solve a large scale of problems in numerical analysis, linear system theory, stochastics and other fields. There exists a vast literature on the classical Pade problem. However, these papers mostly treat the problem for functions analytic at 0 or, in a purely algebraic sense, they treat the approximation of formal power series. For certain problems however, the Pade approximation problem for formal Laurent series, rather than for formal power series seems to be a more natural basis. In this monograph, the problem of Laurent-Pade approximation is central. In this problem a ratio of two Laurent polynomials in sought which approximates the two directions of the Laurent series simultaneously. As a side result the two-point Pade approximation problem can be solved. In that case, two series are approximated, one is a power series in z and the other is a power series in z-l. So we can approximate two, not necessarily different functions one at zero and the other at infinity.

The history of continued fractions is certainly one of the longest among those of mathematical concepts, since it begins with Euclid's algorithm for the great est common divisor at least three centuries B.C. As it is often the case and like Monsieur Jourdain in Moliere's "Ie bourgeois gentilhomme" (who was speak ing in prose though he did not know he was doing so), continued fractions were used for many centuries before their real discovery. The history of continued fractions and Pade approximants is also quite im portant, since they played a leading role in the development of some branches of mathematics. For example, they were the basis for the proof of the tran scendence of 11' in 1882, an open problem for more than two thousand years, and also for our modern spectral theory of operators. Actually they still are of great interest in many fields of pure and applied mathematics and in numerical analysis, where they provide computer approximations to special functions and are connected to some convergence acceleration methods. Con tinued fractions are also used in number theory, computer science, automata, electronics, etc ...

The first edition of this book was reviewed in 1982 as "the most extensive treatment of Pade approximants actually available." This second edition has been thoroughly updated, with a substantial new chapter on multiseries approximants. Applications to statistical mechanics and critical phenomena are extensively covered, and there are newly extended sections devoted to circuit design, matrix Pade approximation, and computational methods. This succinct and straightforward treatment will appeal to scientists, engineers, and mathematicians alike.

This book paints a fresco of the field of extrapolation and rational approximation over the last several centuries to the present through the works of their primary contributors. It can serve as an introduction to the topics covered, including extrapolation methods, Padé approximation, orthogonal polynomials, continued fractions, Lanczos-type methods etc.; it also provides in depth discussion of the many links between these subjects. A highlight of this book is the presentation of the human side of the fields discussed via personal testimonies from contemporary researchers, their anecdotes, and their exclusive remembrances of some of the “actors.” This book shows how research in this domain started and evolved. Biographies of other scholars encountered have also been included. An important branch of mathematics is described in its historical context, opening the way to new developments. After a mathematical introduction, the book contains a precise description of the mathematical landscape of these fields spanning from the 19th century to the first part of the 20th. After an analysis of the works produced after that period (in particular those of Richardson, Aitken, Shanks, Wynn, and others), the most recent developments and applications are reviewed.

Padé and Rational Approximation: Theory and Applications presents the proceedings of the Conference on Rational Approximation with Emphasis on Applications of Padé Approximants, held in Tampa, Florida on December 15-17, 1976. The contributors focus on the interplay of theory, computation, and physical applications. This book is composed of six parts encompassing 44 chapters. The introductory part discusses the general theory of orthogonal polynomials that is the mathematical basis of Padé approximants and related matters evaluation. This text also examines the connection between approximants on a stepline in the ordinary Padé table and certain continued fractions and the convergence of diagonal Padé approximants to a class of functions with an even number of branch points. The following parts deal with the special functions and continued fractions of Padé approximation and the theory of rational approximations. These parts also investigate the geometric convergence of Chebyshev rational approximation on the half line, the optimal approximation by "Almost Classical interpolation, and the incomplete polynomials approximation. The discussion then shifts to the physical applications and computations of the Padé approximants. The concluding part presents the applications of rational approximation to gun fire control and to the White Sands Missile Range Computer Facility. This part also provides a list of some open problems and conjectures concerning polynomials and rational functions. This book is of great benefit to mathematicians, physicists, and laboratory workers.

Transcendental equations arise in every branch of science and engineering. While most of these equations are easy to solve, some are not, and that is where this book serves as the mathematical equivalent of a skydiver's reserve parachute--not always needed, but indispensible when it is. The author's goal is to teach the art of finding the root of a single algebraic equation or a pair of such equations.