Borel measures with a density on a compact semi-algebraic set

Abstract

Let ${\mathbf{K} \subset \mathbb{R}^n}$ be a compact basic semi-algebraic set. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition (with no à priori bounding parameter) for a real sequence y = (y _α), ${\alpha \in \mathbb{N}^n}$ , to have a finite representing Borel measure absolutely continuous w.r.t. the Lebesgue measure on K, and with a density in ${\cap_{p \geq 1} L_p(\mathbf{K})}$ . With an additional condition involving a bounding parameter, the condition is necessary and sufficient for the existence of a density in L _∞(K). Moreover, nonexistence of such a density can be detected by solving finitely many of a hierarchy of semidefinite programs. In particular, if the semidefinite program at step d of the hierarchy has no solution, then the sequence cannot have a representing measure on K with a density in L _p (K) for any p ≥ 2d.