Double, borderline, and extraordinary eigenvalues of Kac-Murdock-Szegő matrices with a complex parameter (Q2419075)

Let $s_{n+1}(\rho, z)=z^{n+1}-\rho z^n+\rho z-1$ and $c_{n+1}(\rho, z)=z^{n+1}-\rho z^n-\rho z+1$. The eigenvalues of $K_n(\rho)=\left[\rho^{|j-k|}\right]_{j,k=1}^n$, for $\rho\in \mathbb{C}$, are either of type-1 ($z$ satisfies $s_{n+1}(\rho, z)=s_{n+1}(\rho, z^{-1})=0$) or type-2 (roots of ). This work is a continuation of [\textit{G. Fikioris}, Linear Algebra Appl. 553, 182--210 (2018; Zbl 1391.15095)]. The Kac-Murdock-Szegő matrix is a matrix of the form $K_n(\rho)=\left[\rho^{|j-k|}\right]_{j,k=1}^n$, where $0<\rho<0$. However, the paper under review deals with the more general case $\rho\in \mathbb{C}$, in which case $K_n(\rho)$ is a complex symmetric Toeplitz matrix. With $\rho\in \mathbb{C}$, an eigenvalue $\lambda\in \mathbb{C}$ of $K_n(\rho)$ is called \textit{ordinary} if $|\lambda|\leq n$, \textit{extraordinary} if $|\lambda|>n$, and \textit{borderline} if $|\lambda|=n$. For nearly all $\rho$ (with five exceptions), the statements of $\lambda$ being a repeated eigenvalue of $K_n(\rho)$, $\lambda$ having algebraic multiplicity two as an eigenvalue of $K_n(\rho)$, and $\lambda=-n$, are equivalent. \par As discussed in [loc. cit.] the eigenvalues of $K_n(\rho)$ can be either type-1 or type-2, and the two types are mutually exclusive. The main result of this paper characterizes when $K_n(\rho)$ possesses a borderline type-1 (type-2) eigenvalue, enabling one to compute all $\rho\in \mathbb{C}$ that give rise to type-1 (type-2) borderline eigenvalues via the range of certain complex-valued functions. Corresponding closed curves can be defined by the range of these functions, and the paper discusses a number of properties and behaviours of these borderline curves. The authors conjecture that these curves are Jordan curves, and provide results dealing with the extraordinary type-1 (type-2) eigenvalues, some conditional on the conjecture being true, others not.