Strong asymptotics for Gegenbauer-Sobolev orthogonal polynomials (Q1362412)

Consider the Gegenbauer-Sobolev inner product \[ (f,g)_S=\int_{-1}^1f(x)g(x)(1-x^2)^{\alpha-\frac{1}{2}}dx+ \lambda\int_{-1}^1f'(x)g'(x)(1-x^2)^{\alpha-\frac{1}{2}}dx, \] where \(\alpha>-\frac{1}{2}\) and \(\lambda\geq 0\). For \(\lambda=0\) this leads to the well-known classical Gegenbauer polynomials. In the case \(\lambda >0\) the corresponding orthogonal polynomials are called Gegenbauer-Sobolev polynomials. These polynomials and their algebraic properties have been studied by T.E. Pérez in her Ph.D. thesis ``Polinomios orthogonales respecto a productos de Sobolev : el caso continuo''. In this paper the authors study the asymptotic behaviour of the monic Gegenbauer-Sobolev polynomials. The asymptotics of the zeros and norms of these orthogonal polynomials are also considered. The zeros of these Gegenbauer-Sobolev polynomials were studied earlier by \textit{H. G. Meijer} [Coherent pairs and zeros of Sobolev-type orthogonal polynomials, Indag. Math., New Ser. 4, 163-176 (1993; Zbl 0784.33004)] and also by \textit{T. E. Pérez} in her thesis [see also \textit{F. Marcellán, T. E. Pérez} and \textit{M. A. Piñar}, Gegenbauer-Sobolev orthogonal polynomials, in : A. Cuyt (ed.), Proc. Conf. on Nonlinear Numerical Methods and Rational Approximation II, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 71-82 (1994; Zbl 0815.33008)]. T. E. Pérez has already shown that the zeros of the Gegenbauer-Sobolev polynomials are real and simple, and that they interlace with the zeros of the classical Gegenbauer polynomials. Furthermore, when \(\alpha\geq\frac{1}{2}\) all zeros are contained in \([-1,1]\) and for \(-\frac{1}{2}<\alpha<\frac{1}{2}\) there is at most one pair of zeros symmetric with respect to the origin outside the interval \([-1,1]\). In this paper it is also shown that the zeros are dense in \([-1,1]\).