Perturbation of orthogonal polynomials on an arc of the unit circle (Q1907507)

Orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle can be defined by two first-order recurrence relations, known as Szegö recurrences. In these relations one coefficient, the reflection coefficient, plays a dominant role. Actually, the system of orthogonal polynomials is completely determined by the sequence of all reflection coefficients. If the orthogonality relation lives on the whole unit circle, then the case of reflection coefficients converging to zero is especially interesting. In the paper the situation is studied that the reflection coefficients converge to some complex number \(a\) with \(0< |a|< 1\). Under this assumption the orthogonality relation of the polynomials essentially lives on the subarc \(\{e^{i\theta}\mid \alpha\leq \theta\leq 2\pi- \alpha\}\) of the unit disc, where the number \(\alpha\) is defined by \(\cos(\alpha/2)= \sqrt{1- |a|^2}\) with \(\alpha\in (0, \pi)\). The asymptotic behavior of the orthogonal polynomials is studied for this new situation by comparing them with the orthogonal polynomials defined by a constant reflection coefficient equal to \(a\). This case has been studied earlier by Ya. L. Geronimus and N. I. Akhiezer. Among other things, it is shown in the paper that under certain assumptions on the rate of convergence of the reflection coefficients the orthogonality measure will be absolutely continuous on the arc mentioned above. Further, a characterization is given for the case that the orthogonality measure has a discrete support with only one cluster point, which is the analogue of a characterization theorem by M. G. Krein on the real line.