Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 253, 691᎐694 Ž2001.

doi:10.1006rjmaa.2000.7155, available online at http:rrwww.idealibrary.com on

NOTE

On Carleman’s Inequality
Xiaojing Yang

Department of Mathematics, Tsinghua Uni¨ ersity, Beijing 100084,

People’s Republic of China

Submitted by A. M. Fink

Received May 4, 2000

In this paper the result of P. Yan and G. Sun Ž1999, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 240,
290᎐293. is generalized and a conjecture is proposed. 䊚 2001 Academic Press
Key Words: Carleman’s inequality.

Recently, Yan and Sun w1x generalized the strengthened Carleman’s

inequality obtained in w2x. The following Carleman’s inequality is well
known w3x
THEOREM A. Let a n G 0, n s 1, 2, . . . , and 0 - Ý⬁ns1 a n - ⬁. Then
⬁ ⬁
1rn
Ý Ž a1 a2 ⭈⭈⭈ a n . -e Ý an . Ž 1.
ns1 ns1
The main result of w1x is the following theorem
THEOREM B w2x. Let a n G 0, n s 1, 2, . . . , and 0 - Ý⬁ns1 a n - ⬁. Then
⬁ ⬁ y1 r2
1rn
1
⭈⭈⭈ a n . -e 1q
Ý Ž a1 a2
ns1
Ý
ns1
ž n q 1r5 / an . Ž 2.

The main result of this paper is the following theorem

THEOREM 1. Let a n G 0, n s 1, 2, . . . , and 0 - Ý⬁ns1 a n - ⬁. Then
⬁
1rn
Ý Ž a1 a2 ⭈⭈⭈ a n .
ns1

⬁ 1 1 1
-e 1y y y
Ý
ns1
ž 2 Ž n q 1. 24 Ž n q 1 .
2
48 Ž n q 1 .
3 / an . Ž 3.

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692 NOTE

To prove Theorem 1, we need the following lemma.

LEMMA 1. For x ) 0, we ha¨ e
x
1 1 1 1
ž 1q / -e 1y y y . Ž 4.
x 2Ž 1 q x . 24 Ž 1 q x .
2
48 Ž 1 q x .
3

Proof. The right side of Ž4. can be written as

48 y 3 y 24 y 2 y 2 y y 1
e , where y s x q 1 ) 1.
48 y 3
Define
x
48 y 3 1
pŽ x . s ž 1q / , y s x q 1.
48 y 3 y 24 y 2 y 2 y y 1 x
We need to show pŽ x . - e for x ) 0.
Let q Ž x . s Ž lnpŽ x .., r Ž y . s 48 y 3 y 24 y 2 y 2 y y 1. Then q Ž x . s
ln 1 q x . y lnx q 2ry y r ⬘Ž y .rr Ž y .. By Taylor’s formula
Ž
⬁ 1 ⬁ 1
ln Ž 1 q x . y lnx s Ý k
s Ý
ks1 kŽ1 q x. ks1 ky k
we have QŽ y . s q Ž x . s 2ry q Ý⬁ks 1Ž1rky k . y r ⬘rr; therefore
⬁ 2
2 1 rr ⬙ y Ž r ⬘ .
Q⬘ Ž y . s y y Ý y
y2 ks1 y kq1 r2
2
y Ž 3 y y 2. rr ⬙ y Ž r ⬘ .
s y
y 2 Ž y y 1. r2
2
Ž 3 y y 2 . r 2 q y 2 Ž y y 1 . Ž rr ⬙ y Ž r ⬘ . .
sy
y 2 Ž y y 1. r 2
y584 y 3 q 152 y 2 y 5 y y 2
s
y 2 Ž y y 1. r 2
and Q⬘Ž y . - 0 for y ) 1. Hence Q Ž y . is decreasing on Ž1, ⬁.. As
lim Q Ž y . s 0
yª⬁

we have QŽ y . ) 0 which implies p⬘Ž x . ) 0. It is easy to see

lim p Ž x . s e.
xª⬁

Hence pŽ x . - e for x g Ž0, ⬁x.

 NOTE 693

Proof of Theorem 1. Let c m s Ž1 q m1 . m m, m s 1, 2, . . . . Then by the

arithmetic-geometric average inequality, we have
⬁ ⬁ c1 a1 c 2 a2 ⭈⭈⭈ c n a n 1rn
1rn
Ý Ž a1 a2 ⭈⭈⭈ a n . s Ý ž /
ns1 ns1 c1 c 2 ⭈⭈⭈ c n
⬁
y1 rn 1rn
s Ý Ž c1 c 2 ⭈⭈⭈ c n . Ž c1 a1 ⭈⭈⭈ c n an .
ns1
⬁ 1 n
y1 rn
F Ý Ž c1 c 2 ⭈⭈⭈ c n . Ý ck ak
ns1 n ks1
⬁ ⬁ 1 y1 rn
s Ý ck ak Ý Ž c1 c2 ⭈⭈⭈ c n .
ks1 nsk n
⬁ ⬁ 1
s Ý ck ak Ý n Ž n q 1.
ks1 nsk
⬁ 1
s Ý ck ak
ks1 k
⬁ 1 k

s Ý ž 1q / ak .
ks1 k
By Lemma 1, we have
⬁
1rn
Ý Ž a1 a2 ⭈⭈⭈ a n .
ns1

⬁ 1 1 1
-e 1y y y
Ý
ns1
ž 2 Ž n q 1. 24 Ž n q 1 .
2
48 Ž n q 1 .
3 / an .

Remark 1. It is easy to verify that

1 1 1
0-1y y y
2 Ž n q 1. 24 Ž n q 1 .
2
48 Ž n q 1 .
1 1
-1y y
2 Ž n q 1. 24 Ž n q 1 .
2

y1 r2
1
- 1q for n s 1, 2, . . . .
ž n q 1r5 / ,

Thus, Theorem 1 improves Theorem B and Theorem A.

694 NOTE

Remark 2. Lemma 1 can be further refined as

x
1
ž 1q /
x
1 1 1 73
-e 1y y y y
2Ž 1 q x . 24 Ž 1 q x .
2
48 Ž 1 q x .
3
5670 Ž 1 q x .
4

11 y1945
y 5
y 6
.
1280 Ž 1 q x . 580608 Ž 1 q x .

Therefore, Theorem 1 can also be further refined. The proof of the above
inequality is similar to the proof of Lemma 1, but it is considerably longer
and complicated.
Conjecture. Let x ) 0. Then the following equality holds
x ⬁
1 ak
ž 1q / se 1y Ý k
,
x ks1 Ž1 q x.
where a1 s 12 , a2 s 1
24 , a3 s 1
48 , a4 s 73
5670 , a5 s 11
1280 , a6 s 1945
580608 .
Conjecture. Is a k ) 0 for k G 7?

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author thanks the referee for his valuable comments and suggestions.

REFERENCES

1. P. Yan and G. Sun, A strengthened Carleman’s inequality, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 240
Ž1999., 290᎐293.
2. B. Yang and L. Debnath, Some inequalities involving the constant e, and an application to
Carleman’s inequality, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 223 Ž1998., 347᎐353.
3. G. H. Hardy, J. E. Littlewood, and G. Polya, ‘‘Inequalities,’’ Cambridge Univ. Press,
London, 1952.