A Favard theorem for orthogonal rational functions on the unit circle (Q688103)

In a series of papers the authors have set forth to show that several aspects of Szegö's beautiful theory for polynomials orthogonal on the unit circle generalize to rational functions. In their setting the building blocks are partial Blaschke products \[ B_ 0(z):= 1,\quad B_ n(z):= B_{n-1}(z)\zeta_ n(z);\quad\zeta_ n(z):=\frac{\overline{\alpha_ k}}{|\alpha_ k|} \frac{\alpha_ k-z}{1-\overline{\alpha_ k}z}\quad\text{for} n=1,2,3, \dots, \] where \(\{\alpha_ k\}\) is a given sequence of numbers from the open unit disk \({\mathbf D}\) and \(\overline{\alpha_ k}/|\alpha_ k|:=-1\) if \(\alpha_ k=0\). The case where all \(\alpha_ k=0\) corresponds to the Szegö case. The following is true for instance: Let \(\{\phi_ n\}_{n=1}^ \infty\) be a sequence of rational functions \(\phi_ n(z)= \sum_{k=0}^ n\kappa_ k^{(n)}B_ k(z)\), orthonormal with respect to some probability measure \(\mu\) supported on the unit circle \({\mathbf T}\). Further, let \(\phi_ n^*(z):= B_ n(z)\overline{\phi_ n(z)(1/\bar z)}\). Then \(\{\phi_ n(z)\}\) and \(\{\phi_ n^*(z)\}\) satisfy the linear recurrence relation \[ \left[\begin{matrix} \phi_ n(z)\\ \phi_ n^*(z)\end{matrix}\right]=e_ n\left[\begin{matrix} \eta_ n^ 1 & 0\\ 0 & \eta_ n^ 2\end{matrix}\right]\frac{1-\overline{\alpha_{n-1}}z}{1- \overline{\alpha_ n}z}\left[\begin{matrix} 1& \overline{\lambda_ n}\\ \lambda_ n & 1\end{matrix}\right]\left[\begin{matrix}\zeta_{n-1}(z) & 0\\ 0 & 1\end{matrix}\right] \left[\begin{matrix} \phi_{n-1}(z)\\ \phi_{n- 1}^*(z)\end{matrix}\right], \] where \[ e_ n^ 2=\frac{1-| a_ n|^ 2}{1-| a_{n-1}|^ 2} \frac 1{1-|\lambda_ n|^ 2}>0,\qquad\eta_ n^ 2=\overline{\eta_ n^ 1}\frac{\alpha_{n- 1}}{| \alpha_{n-1}|} \frac{\overline{\alpha_ n}}{|\alpha_ n|}\in{\mathbf T} \] and \(\eta_ n^ 1\) is chosen such that the leading coefficient \(\phi_ n^*(\alpha_ n)>0\). In the present paper the authors prove the converse: If \(\{\phi_ n(z)\}\) is a sequence of rational functions with \(\phi_ 0(z)\equiv 1\) satisfying such a recurrence relation, then there exists a probability measure \(\mu\) on \({\mathbf T}\) such that \(\{\phi_ n(z)\}\) is orthonormal with respect to \(\mu\). The measure \(\mu\) is unique if \(\sum(1- |\alpha_ n|)=\infty\).