Hermite-Padé approximation and integrability (Q6156882)

The authors consider the type I Hermite-Padé problem, which is to find polynomials \(Y_i\), of degree \(n_i\in\mathbb{Z}_{\ge-1}\), \(i=1,\ldots,m\), such that \(\sum_{j=1}^m Y_j(x)f_j(x)=O_+(x^{|n|+m-1})\), where \(f_j\) are given power series. A zero polynomial gets degree \(-1\), \(n=(n_1,\ldots,n_m)\) and \(|n|=\sum_{j=1}^m n_j\). For \(m=2\), this is the Padé problem for \(f_1/f_2\). Assuming the system is perfect, then there are determinant expressions for a canonical solutions \(Y_\ell(x)=Z_\ell(n;x)\). There exist relations between ``nearby'' solutions, i.e., whose index vectors \(n\) differ only by 1 in three components, \(n_i, n_j\), and \(n_k\) with \(1\le i<j<k\le m\). These generalize the Frobenius-Padé identities and the so called missing relation of Wynn to \(m\ge2\). Considering a solution \((Z_1,\ldots,Z_m)\) as a point in a projective space of dimension \(m-1\), these relations can be given a geometric interpretation. Given 5 out of 6 points in a certain constellation of nearby solutions, allows to compute the sixth point. Similarly, not using projective geometry, but ratios \(R_j=Z_j/Z_1\), there is a geometric construction to compute from 5 nearby points the fifth, given the four others. All these relations can be used to compute recursively the complete table for all \(n\), starting from the data. Linking the Hermite-Padé problem to the more general discrete Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (dKP) Hirota system, a discussion is devoted to the integrable reduction of the latter under the Paszkowski constraint, which is a nonlinear difference equation of spectral-type corresponding to a general Frobenius relation. It is suggested to apply a similar analysis in several other topics like multiple orthogonal polynomials, Toda lattices, random matrices and other related ones.