Spectral theory of Jacobi operators with increasing coefficients. The critical case (Q6203844)

Summary: Spectral properties of Jacobi operators \(J\) are intimately related to an asymptotic behavior of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials \(P_n (z)\) as \(n\to\infty\). We study the case where the off-diagonal coefficients \(a_n\) and, eventually, diagonal coefficients \(b_n\) of \(J\) tend to infinity in such a way that the ratio \(\gamma_n := 2^{-1}b_n (a_n a_{n-1})^{-1/2}\) has a finite limit \(\gamma\). In the case \(|\gamma |<1\) asymptotic formulas for \(P_n (z)\) generalize those for the Hermite polynomials and the corresponding Jacobi operators \(J\) have absolutely continuous spectra covering the whole real line. If \(|\gamma |>1\), then spectra of the operators \(J\) are discrete. Our goal is to investigate the critical case \(|\gamma |=1\) that occurs, for example, for the Laguerre polynomials. The formulas obtained depend crucially on the rate of growth of the coefficients \(a_n\) (or \(b_n\)) and are qualitatively different in the cases where \(a_n \to\infty\) faster or slower than \(n\). For the fast growth of \(a_n\), we also have to distinguish the cases \(|\gamma_n| \to 1-0\) and \(|\gamma_n| \to 1+0\). Spectral properties of the corresponding Jacobi operators are quite different in all these cases. Our approach works for an arbitrary power growth of the Jacobi coefficients.