On quasi-orthogonal polynomials: their differential equations, discriminants and electrostatics (Q2633694)

In this paper, the authors develop a general theory of quasi-orthogonal polynomials \(\{q_n(x)\}\), which includes a three-term recurrence relation, a second-order ordinary differential equation, a function of the second kind which satisfy the three-term recurrence relation, and an expression for their discriminants in terms of the recursion coefficients. They also investigate an electrostatic equilibrium problem where the equilibrium position of the movable charges under an external field which is a convex function. They show that the equilibrium positions are uniquely attained at the zeros of the quasi-orthogonal polynomials provided that the particle interaction obeys a logarithmic potential. Examples of the Freud weight \(w_F(x)={\mathrm e}^{-x^4+2tx^2}\), the Jacobi weight \(w_J(x)=(1-x)^\alpha(1+x)^\beta\) and polynomials which arise from birth and death processes are discussed in detail. They also consider the nonlinear orthogonality preserving transformation and a related matrix problem.