We show that Whitney?s approximation theorem holds in a general setting including spaces of (ultra)differentiable functions and ultradistributions. This is used to obtain real analytic modifications for differentiable functions including optimal estimates. Finally, a surjectivity criterion for continuous linear operators between Fréchet sheaves is deduced, which can be applied to the boundary value problem for holomorphic functions and to convolution operators in spaces of ultradifferentiable functions...

Integral representation of relaxed energies and of Γ-limits of functionals $$(u,v)\mapsto {\int }_{\Omega }f(x,u\left(x\right),v\left(x\right))dx$$ are obtained when sequences of fields v may develop oscillations and are constrained to satisfy a system of first order linear partial differential equations. This framework includes the treatement of divergence-free fields, Maxwell's equations in micromagnetics, and curl-free fields. In the latter case classical relaxation theorems in W1,p, are recovered.