Square-summable variation and absolutely continuous spectrum (Q2018375)

Summary: Recent results of \textit{S. A. Denisov} [Commun. Math. Phys. 226, No.~1, 205--220 (2002; Zbl 1005.34076)] and \textit{U. Kaluzhny} and \textit{M. Shamis} [Constr. Approx. 35, No.~1, 89--105 (2012; Zbl 1242.47024)] describe the absolutely continuous spectrum of Jacobi matrices with coefficients that obey an \(\ell^2\) bounded variation condition with step \(p\) and are asymptotically periodic. We extend these results to orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle. We also replace the asymptotic periodicity condition by the weaker condition of convergence to an isospectral torus and, for \(p=1\) and \(p=2\), we remove even that condition.