Multivariate integration and approximation in weighted Sobolev spaces of low fractional smoothness

Abstract

The weighted half-period cosine space has often been employed in the theory of quasi-Monte Carlo methods for multivariate integration and approximation of non-periodic functions. For integer-order smoothness, its norm equivalence to certain weighted unanchored Sobolev spaces has been established in the literature. In this work, we extend this equivalence to fractional-order smoothness up to $2$. By introducing an explicit representation via Slobodeckij-type seminorms, we prove a norm equivalence between the half-period cosine spaces and the corresponding weighted unanchored Sobolev spaces. Our Sobolev norm representation clarifies how the fractional regularity dictates the presence or absence of boundary constraints and (non-)periodic structures. Furthermore, we investigate the limiting behavior of these fractional spaces as the smoothness parameter approaches integer boundaries, establishing a continuous bridge to the classical integer-order Sobolev spaces. These equivalence results enable us to transfer the near-optimal error bounds and tractability results for multivariate integration and function approximation from the half-period cosine settings to our newly introduced fractional Sobolev spaces.