Poles of Painlevé IV rationals and their distribution (Q1704988)

The fourth Painlevé equation \[ \omega_{zz}= \frac{\omega_z^2}{2\omega} + \frac 32\omega^3 +4z\omega^2 + 2(z^2 + 1-2\theta_{\infty})\omega - \frac{8\theta_0^2}{\omega} \tag{*}{(P\(_{\text{IV}}\))} \] admits a rational solution if and only if \(\theta_{\infty} \in (1/2)\mathbb{Z}\) and \(\theta_0 -\theta_{\infty} \in \mathbb{Z}\) or \(\in \mathbb{Z}\pm 2/3\) [\textit{V. I. Gromak}, Differ. Equations 23, No. 5, 506--513 (1987; Zbl 0647.34004); translation from Differ. Uravn. 23, No. 5, 760--768 (1987); \textit{N. A. Lukashevich}, Differ. Equations 3, 395--399 (1971; Zbl 0225.34001); \textit{Y. Murata}, Funkc. Ekvacioj, Ser. Int. 28, 1--32 (1985; Zbl 0597.34004)]. The paper under review studies zeros and poles of these rational solutions. Since every rational solution is represented by generalised Hermite polynomials \(H_{m,n}(z)\) or Okamoto polynomials \(Q_{m,n}(z)\) [\textit{M. Noumi} and \textit{Y. Yamada}, Nagoya Math. J. 153, 53--86 (1999; Zbl 0932.34088)] recursively defined for \(m,n \geq 0\) as in Appendix A, the main concern is the zeros of these special polynomials (cf. Table 2). A necessary and sufficient condition for \(a \in \mathbb{C}\) to be a zero of \(H_{m,n}(z)\) or \(Q_{m,n}(z)\) is described in terms of solutions to the anharmonic oscillator \[ \psi'' = \Bigl(\lambda^2+ 2a\lambda +a^2 +2(1-\theta_{\infty}) -(b+(2\theta_{\infty} -1/2)a) \lambda^{-1} +(\theta_0^2-1/4)\lambda^{-2} \Bigr) \psi. \tag{1} \] This equation is derived from the Lax pair associated with P\(_{\text{IV}}\). By using this characterisation of zeros, results on asymptotic distribution of zeros of \(H_{m,n}(z)\) as \(m\to\infty\) are obtained for each fixed \(n\); for example, \(H_{m,n}(z)\) admits zeros approximately at \(E^{1/2}\alpha_{j,k}\) with \(E=2m+n \), \(j\in J_n:=\{-n+1, -n+3, \ldots, n-3, n-1 \},\) \(|k|\leq \sigma E\) \((\sigma <1/4)\), where, for any given \(k_0\), \(\{\alpha_{j,k} \}_{j\in J_n, |k|\leq k_0}\) constitutes a lattice-like pattern for sufficiently large \(E\). These zeros are found by matching a WKB solution to (1) with a perturbed local one. Furthermore, \(H_{m,n}(z)\) has exactly \(m\) real zeros if \(n\) is odd and none if \(n\) is even. This is proved by examining the branched covering of \(\mathbb{P}^1\) given by the quotient of linearly independent solutions to (*), whose structure is described by the associated graph called a line complex [\textit{R. Nevanlinna}, Acta Math. 58, 295--373 (1932; JFM 58.0369.01); \textit{G. Elfving}, Acta Soc. Sci. Fennicae, N. Ser. A 2, No. 3, 1--60 (1934; Zbl 0010.36301); the first author, Constr. Approx. 39, No. 1, 43--74 (2014; Zbl 1322.34100)].