Asymptotic behavior of Müntz orthogonal polynomials (Q5962342)

Consider the Müntz spaces \[ M_n(\Lambda)=\text{span}\,\{x^{\lambda_0},x^{\lambda_1},\dots,x^{\lambda_n}\},\;M(\Lambda)=\bigcup_{n=0}^{\infty}\,M_n(\Lambda), \] for an arbitrary sequence \(\Lambda=\{\lambda_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) of distinct real numbers \(\lambda_k>-1/2\). The Müntz theorem asserts that \(M(\Lambda)\) is dense in \(\text{L}^2[0,1]\) if and only if \[ \sum_{k=0}^{\infty}\,{\lambda_k+{1\over 2}\over (\lambda_k+{1\over 2})^2 +1}=\infty,\eqno{(1)} \] which is for \(\inf_{k\geq 0}\,\lambda_k>-1/2\) equivalent to \[ \sum_{k=0}^{\infty}\,{1\over \lambda_k+{1\over 2}}=\infty.\eqno{(2)} \] The generalized polynomials from \(M(\Lambda)\) can be orthogonalized and form a Chebychev system on \((0,\infty)\). The \(n\)th Müntz-Legendre polynomial of \(M(\Lambda)\) is defined by \[ L_n(x)=L_n(\Lambda;x)={1\over 2\pi i}\,\int_{\Gamma}\,\prod_{k=0}^{n-1}\,{t+\lambda_k+1\over t-\lambda_k}\,{x^t\over t-\lambda_n}\,dt, \eqno{(3)} \] where the simple contour \(\Gamma\) surrounds all the zeros of the denominator in the integrand; they satisfy \[ \int_0^1\,L_n(x)L_m(x)dx={\delta_{n,m}\over 2\lambda_n +1}\;(n\geq m). \] (The `ordinary' Legendre polynomials \(P_n(t)\) with Legendre weight \(w(t)\equiv 1\) on \([-1,1]\) are a special case: \(P_n(t)=L_n(\mathbb{N}_0;{t+1\over 2})\)) The main results of the paper under review are an integral representation and an analogue of the Laplace formula: Theorem 1.1 \[ L_n(\Lambda;x^2)={1\over \pi x}\int_0^{\infty}\,{\sin{(2\lambda_n^{\ast}[R_n(t)-t\log{x}])}\over \sqrt{1+t^2}}dt, \] with \[ R_n(t)={1\over\lambda_n^{\ast}}\left\{\sum_{j=0}^{n-1}\,\arctan{\lambda_j^{\ast}\over\lambda_n^{\ast}t}+{1\over 2}\arctan{1\over t}\right\}, \lambda_k^{\ast}=\lambda_k+{1\over 2}. \] Theorem 1.2. Let \(\Lambda:{-1\over 2}<\lambda_0<\lambda_1<\lambda_2<\cdots\) satisfy condition (2) and \[ \lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}\,{1\over \lambda_n^{\ast}}\,\sum_{j=0}^{n-1}\,\lambda_j^{\ast}=\infty, \] then the following `Laplace formula' holds \[ L_n(\Lambda;x^2)={\cos{(2\lambda_n^{\ast}[R_n(t_n)-t_n\log{x}]-{\pi\over 4})}\over x\sqrt{\pi\lambda_n^{\ast}R_n''(t_n)(1+t_n^2)}}+ o\left({1\over\sqrt{\lambda_n^{\ast}R_n''(t_n)(1+t_n^2)}}\right)\text{ as }n\rightarrow\infty, \] where \(t_n=t_n(x)\in (0,\infty)\) is the unique stationary point of \(h_n(t)=h_n(t,x)=R_n(t)-t\log{x}\) (i.e. \(R_n'(t_n)=\log{x}\)). The result holds uniformly in \(x\) on compact subserts of \((0,1)\). Moreover, explicit asymptotics are given in the case \(\lambda_n\sim n/\rho\) for some \(\rho>0\) (Theorem 1.3) and results using a type of Newton iteration, putting emphasis on \(h_n\) (being explicit, as opposed to \(t_n\)), exploiting successive approximations of the limit point at \(\theta\) of \(t_n\) (Theorem 1.4) and, finally, results on asymptotics in terms of the increasing sequence of numbers \(\lambda_n\) (Theorems 1.5 and 1.6). An interesting and well written paper.