Crosscorrelation of Rudin-Shapiro-like polynomials (Q2300747)

For two complex-valued sequences \(f = (f_0,f_1,\ldots,f_{l-1})\) and \(g = (g_0,g_1,\ldots,g_{l-1})\) of length \(l\) the crosscorrelation demerit factor of \(f\) and \(g\) (the reciprocal of the crosscorrelation merit factor) is defined as \[ \mathrm{CDF}(f,g) = \frac{\sum_{s\in\mathbb{Z}}|C_{f,g}(s)|^2}{|C_{f,f}(0)|\cdot |C_{g,g}(0)|}, \] where \[ C_{f,g}(s) = \sum_{j\in\mathbb{Z}}f_{j+s}\overline{g_j}, \quad f_j = g_j = 0\;\mbox{if}\;j\not\in\{0,1,\ldots,l-1\} \] is the aperiodic crosscorrelation of \(f\) and \(g\) at shift \(s\). The autocorrelation demerit factor of \(f\) is \(\mathrm{ADF}(f) = \mathrm{CDF}(f,f)-1\). Assigning to sequences \(f = (f_0,f_1,\ldots,f_{l-1})\) of length \(l\), polynomials \(f(z) = f_0+f_1z+\cdots+f_{l-1}z^{l-1}\) of degree \(l-1\), the authors consider Rudin-Shapiro-like sequences recursively defined as \[ f_{n+1}(z) = f_n(z) + \sigma_nz^{1+\deg f_n}f_n^*(-z), \] where \(\sigma_n\in\{-1,1\}\), and for \(a(z) = a_0+a_1z+\cdots+a_dz^d\) the polynomial \(a^*(z)\) is the conjugate reciprocal polynomial \(a^*(z) = \overline{a_d}+\overline{a_{d-1}}z+\cdots+\overline{a_0}z^d\). Differently from the Rudin-Shapiro-like sequences in [\textit{P. Borwein} and \textit{M. Mossinghoff}, Math. Comput. 69, No. 231, 1157--1166 (2000; Zbl 1042.11046)], where the ``seed'' \(f_0\) is always a Littlewood polynomial, in this article \(f_0\) may be any complex polynomial with a nonzero constant term. In Borwein, Mossinghoff [loc. cit.], a formula for the asymptotic behaviour of ADF(\(f_n\)) (where \(f_0\) is a Littlewood polynomial) is presented. \textit{M. B. Pursley} and \textit{D. V. Sarwate} [``Bounds on aperiodic cross-correlation for binary sequences '', Electron. Lett. 12., 304--305 (1976)] proved the bound \(|\mathrm{CDF}(f,g) - 1| \le \sqrt{\mathrm{ADF}(f)\mathrm{ADF}(g)}\) which relates CDF and ADF. According to this, the authors of this article define the Pursley-Sarwate Criterion of \(f\) and \(g\) as PSC\((f,g) = \sqrt{\mathrm{ADF}(f)\mathrm{ADF}(g)} + \mathrm{CDF}(f,g)\), which then satisfies PSC\((f,g) \ge 1\). As a main result, the authors present a formula for the asymptotic behaviour of the crosscorrelation demerit factor CDF(\(f_n,g_n\)) of Rudin-Shapiro-like polynomials which also generalizes the formula for the asymptotic ADF result for seeds \(f_0\) other than Littlewood polynomials. The formula is then used to find families of pairs of Rudin-Shapiro-like polynomials whose Persley-Sarwate-Criterion is as low as 331/300.