The ratio of q-like orthogonal polynomials (Q1096759)

In this elegant and interesting paper, the author establishes ratio asymptotics for sequences \(\{P_ n(x)\}^{\infty}_{n=0}\) of orthogonal polynomials, that are q-like, for some \(0<q<1\). Here, \(\{P_ n(x)\}^{\infty}_{n=0}\) is said to be q-like, if the coefficients in their recurrence formula \[ P_{n+1}(x)=(x-a_ n)P_ n(x)-b^ 2_ nP_{n-1}(x)\quad (P_ 0\equiv 1;\quad P_{-1}\equiv 0) \] satisfy for some a,b\(\in {\mathbb{R}}\), \[ \lim_{n\to \infty}a_ n/\phi (n)=a;\quad \lim_{n\to \infty}b_ n/\phi (n)=b, \] where \(\phi\) (\(\cdot)\) is a positive function such that \[ \lim_{x\to \infty}\phi (x+t)/\phi (x)=q^{-t},\text{ for all } t>0. \] The case of constant \(\phi\), which corresponds to \(q=1\) and orthogonality on a finite interval, was treated by \textit{P. G. Nevai} in his landmark memoir [Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 213, 185 p. (1979; Zbl 0405.33009)]. The case of \(\phi\) increasing to \(\infty\), and \(q=1\), which is central to the theory of orthogonal polynomials for weights on \({\mathbb{R}}\), was treated by Nevai and Dehesa. The case \(q<1\) corresponds to \(b^ 2_ n\) increasing exponentially, while the case \(q>1\) corresponds to \(| a_ n|\) and \(b^ 2_ n\) decreasing exponentially to 0. Theorem 1 of this paper establishes a remarkable connection between the two cases: If \(\{P_ n(x)\}^{\infty}_{n=0}\) are q-like for some \(0<q<1\), then locally uniformly in \({\mathbb{C}}\setminus \sup p[\lambda]\), \[ \lim_{n\to \infty}\phi (n)P_ n(\phi (n)z)/P_{n-1}(\phi (n)z)\quad equal\quad to\quad (\int^{\infty}_{-\infty}d\lambda (x)/(z-x)\;if\;b>0, \] \[ \lim_{n\to \infty}\phi (n)P_ n(\phi (n)z)/P_{n-1}(\phi (n)z)\quad equal\quad to\quad 1/(z-a)\;if\;b=0, \] where \(\lambda\) is the probability measure with respect to which \(\{u_ n(x)\}^{\infty}_{n=0}\) are orthogonal, and where \(\{u_ n(x)\}^{\infty}_{n=0}\) are generated by \[ u_{n+1}(x)=(x-aq^ n)u_ n(x)-b^ 2q^{2n-2}u_{n-1}(x)\quad (u_ 0\equiv 1;\quad u_{-1}\equiv 0). \] An explicit continued fraction expansion is given for \[ \int^{\infty}_{-\infty}d\lambda (x)/(z-x), \] as well as a generating function for \(\{u_ n(x)\}\), and representations in terms of polynomials studied by Al Salam, Chihara, Askey and Ismail. Some other weak convergence results are established. In particular (Theorem 4), if \(\{x_{jn}\}^ n_{j=1}\) are the zeros of \(P_ n(x)\), then for any \(f\in L_{\infty}({\mathbb{R}})\), continuous at 0, \[ \lim_{n\to \infty}n^{-1}\sum^{n}_{j=1}f(x_{jn}/\phi (n))=f(0). \] For related work, especially by the author and J. S. Geronimo, the reader is referred to the author's important monograph [Asymptotics for orthogonal polynomials (1987)].