Choquet order for spectra of higher Lamé operators and orthogonal polynomials

We establish a hierarchy of weighted majorization relations for the singularities of generalized Lamé equations and the zeros of their Van Vleck and Heine–Stieltjes polynomials as well as for multiparameter spectral polynomials of higher Lamé operators. These relations translate into natural dilation and subordination properties in the Choquet order for certain probability measures associated with the aforementioned polynomials. As a consequence we obtain new inequalities for the moments and logarithmic potentials of the corresponding root-counting measures and their weak-^* limits in the semi-classical and various thermodynamic asymptotic regimes. We also prove analogous results for systems of orthogonal polynomials such as Jacobi polynomials.     

Zeros of Stieltjes and Van Vleck polynomials and applications

Stieltjes and Van Vleck polynomials arise in the study of the polynomial solutions of the generalized Lame's differential equations. In this paper, the location of the zeros of these polynomials, relative to a prescribed location of the complex constants occurring in the differential equation is determined. Various results to this effect have been put forward from time to time by Marden, Stieltjes, Van Vleck, Bôcher, Klein, and Pólya, but all (except the one due to Marden) were obtained under very restrictive conditions on these constants. Some of these results are shown to be corollaries of our main theorem here. Moreover, applications to certain problems arising in physics and fluid mechanics are discussed.     

An algorithm for the periodic solutions in the knapsack problem

Stieltjes and Van Vleck polynomials arise in the study of the polynomial solutions of the generalized Lame's differential equations. In this paper, the location of the zeros of these polynomials, relative to a prescribed location of the complex constants occurring in the differential equation is determined. Various results to this effect have been put forward from time to time by Marden, Stieltjes, Van Vleck, Bôcher, Klein, and Pólya, but all (except the one due to Marden) were obtained under very restrictive conditions on these constants. Some of these results are shown to be corollaries of our main theorem here. Moreover, applications to certain problems arising in physics and fluid mechanics are discussed.     

On a class of equilibrium problems in the real axis

In a series of seminal papers, Thomas J. Stieltjes (1856-1894) gave an elegant electrostatic interpretation for the zeros of classical families of orthogonal polynomials, such as Jacobi, Hermite and Laguerre polynomials. More generally, he extended this approach to the zeros of polynomial solutions of certain second-order linear differential equations (Lamé equations), the so-called Heine-Stieltjes polynomials.In this paper, a class of electrostatic equilibrium problems in R, where the free unit charges x₁,…,x_n∈R are in presence of a finite family of “attractors” (i.e., negative charges) z₁,…,z_m∈C?R, is considered and its connection with certain class of Lamé-type equations is shown. In addition, we study the situation when both n→∞ and m→∞, by analyzing the corresponding (continuous) equilibrium problem in presence of a certain class of external fields.     

Central limit theorems for the zeros of Lamé polynomials

In a recent paper, it was shown that the zeros of Lamé polynomials satisfy a strong law of large numbers. In this paper, we show that the zeros also satisfy two central limit theorems.     

Lamé operators with finite monodromy—a combinatorial approach

We are describing Lamé differential operators with a full set of algebraic solutions. For each finite group G, we are describing the possible values of the degree parameter n such that the Lamé operator L_n has the projective monodromy group G. The main technical tool is the combinatorics associated to Belyi functions, ideas that we already used in (Rend. Sem. Mat. Univ. Padova 107 (2002) 191-208) for describing the case n=1. We also supply proofs to some finiteness properties conjectured by Baldassarri and by Dwork, and we work out an explicit formula for the number of essentially different Lamé equations when n=2. This approach can be generalized for arbitrary degree n (see (Counting Integral Lamé Equations by Means of Dessins d'Enfants, arXiv:math.CA/0311510) for n integer).     

Asymptotic behavior of polynomials orthonormal on a homogeneous set

LetE be a homogeneous compact set, for instance a Cantor set of positive length. Further, let σ be a positive measure with supp(σ)=E. Under the condition that the absolutely continuous part of σ satisfies a Szegö-type condition, we give an asymptotic representation, on and off the support, for the polynomials orthonomal with respect to σ. For the special case thatE consists of a finite number of intervals and that σ has no singular component, this is a well-known result of Widom. IfE=[a,b], it becomes a classical result due to Szegö; and in case that there appears in addition a singular component, it is due to Kolmogorov-krein. In fact, the results are presented for the more general case that the orthogonality measure may have a denumerable set of mass-points outside ofE which are supposed to accumulate only onE and to satisfy (together with the zeros of the associated Stieltjes function) the free-interpolation Carleson-type condition. Up to the case of a finite number of mass points, this is even new for the single interval case. Furthermore, as a byproduct of our representations, we obtain that the recurrence coefficients of the orthonormal polynomials behave asymptotically almost periodic. In other words, the Jacobi matrices associated with the above discussed orthonomal polynomials are compact perturbations of a onesided restriction of almost periodic Jacobi matrices with homogeneous spectrum. Our main tool is a theory of Hardy spaces of character-automorphic functions and forms on Riemann surfaces of Widom type; we use also some ideas of scattering theory for one-dimensional Schrödinger equations.     

Log-convex and Stieltjes moment sequences

We show that Stieltjes moment sequences are infinitely log-convex, which parallels a famous result that (finite) Pólya frequency sequences are infinitely log-concave. We introduce the concept of q-Stieltjes moment sequences of polynomials and show that many well-known polynomials in combinatorics are such sequences. We provide a criterion for linear transformations and convolutions preserving Stieltjes moment sequences. Many well-known combinatorial sequences are shown to be Stieltjes moment sequences in a unified approach and therefore infinitely log-convex, which in particular settles a conjecture of Chen and Xia about the infinite log-convexity of the Schröder numbers. We also list some interesting problems and conjectures about the log-convexity and the Stieltjes moment property of the (generalized) Apéry numbers.     

New class of generating functions associated with generalized hypergeometric polynomials

In this paper authors prove a general theorem on generating relations for a certain sequence of functions. Many formulas involving the families of generating functions for generalized hypergeometric polynomials are shown here to be special cases of a general class of generating functions involving generalized hypergeometric polynomials and multiple hypergeometric series of several variables. It is then shown how the main result can be applied to derive a large number of generating functions involving hypergeometric functions of Kampé de Fériet, Srivastava, Srivastava-Daoust, Chaundy, Fasenmyer, Cohen, Pasternack, Khandekar, Rainville and other multiple Gaussian hypergeometric polynomials scattered in the literature of special functions.     

Zeros of univariate interval polynomials

Polynomials with perturbed coefficients, which can be regarded as interval polynomials, are very common in the area of scientific computing due to floating point operations in a computer environment. In this paper, the zeros of interval polynomials are investigated. We show that, for a degree n interval polynomial, the number of interval zeros is at most n and the number of complex block zeros is exactly n if multiplicities are counted. The boundaries of complex block zeros on a complex plane are analyzed. Numeric algorithms to bound interval zeros and complex block zeros are presented.     

Factorizations of tropical and sign polynomials

In this text, we study factorizations of polynomials over the tropical hyperfield and the sign hyperfield, which we call tropical polynomials and sign polynomials, respectively. We classify all irreducible polynomials in either case. We show that tropical polynomials factor uniquely into irreducible factors, but that unique factorization fails for sign polynomials. We describe division algorithms for tropical and sign polynomials by linear terms that correspond to roots of the polynomials.     

Generalized Collocation Method for Integro-Differential Equations in an Exceptional Case

We study a linear integro-differential equation with a coefficient that has finite-order zeros. To solve the equation approximately in a distribution space, we suggest and substantiate a generalized collocation method based on special interpolation polynomials.     

Computation of special functions by Padé approximants with orthogonal polynomial denominators

This paper deals with the computation of special functions of mathematics and physics in the complex domain using continued fraction (one-point or two-point Padé) approximants. We consider three families of continued fractions (Stieltjes fractions, real J-fractions and non-negative T-fractions) whose denominators are orthogonal polynomials or Laurent polynomials. Orthogonality of these denominators plays an important role in the analysis of errors due to numerical roundoff and truncation of infinite sequences of approximants. From the rigorous error bounds described one can determine the exact number of significant decimal digits contained in the approximation of a given function value. Results from computational experiments are given to illustrate the methods.Research supported in part by the National Science Foudation under Grant No. DMS-9302584.     

Special versions of the collocation method for integro-differential equations in the singular case

We study a linear integro-differential equation with a coefficient that has finiteorder zeros. We suggest and justify generalized versions of the collocation method based on special polynomials for the approximate solution of this equation in the space of distributions.     

Multivariate Stieltjes type theorems and location of common zeros of multivariate orthogonal polynomials

Invariant factors of bivariate orthogonal polynomials inherit most of the properties of univariate orthogonal polynomials and play an important role in the research of Stieltjes type theorems and location of common zeros of bivariate orthogonal polynomials. The aim of this paper is to extend our study of invariant factors from two variables to several variables. We obtain a multivariate Stieltjes type theorem, and the relationships among invariant factors, multivariate orthogonal polynomials and the corresponding Jacobi matrix. We also study the location of common zeros of multivariate orthogonal polynomials and provide some examples of tri-variate.     

Plancherel–Rotach Asymptotics for q-Orthogonal Polynomials

We establish the Plancherel–Rotach-type asymptotics around the largest zero (the soft edge asymptotics) for some classes of polynomials satisfying three-term recurrence relations with exponentially increasing coefficients. As special cases, our results include this type of asymptotics for q ^?1-Hermite polynomials of Askey, Ismail, and Masson; q-Laguerre polynomials; and the Stieltjes–Wigert polynomials. We also introduce a one-parameter family of solutions to the q-difference equation of the Ramanujan function.     

Algebraic solutions of the Lamé equation, revisited

A minor error in the necessary conditions for the algebraic form of the Lamé equation to have a finite projective monodromy group, and hence for it to have only algebraic solutions, is pointed out (see Baldassarri, J. Differential Equations 41 (1) (1981) 44). It is shown that if the group is the octahedral group S₄, then the degree parameter of the equation may differ by ±1/6 from an integer; this possibility was missed. The omission affects a recent result on the monodromy of the Weierstrass form of the Lamé equation (see Churchill, J. Symbolic Comput. 28 (4-5) (1999) 521). The Weierstrass form, which is a differential equation on an elliptic curve, may have, after all, an octahedral projective monodromy group.     

Multivariate stable Eulerian polynomials on segmented permutations

Recently, Nunge studied Eulerian polynomials on segmented permutations, namely generalized Eulerian polynomials, and further asked whether their coefficients form unimodal sequences. In this paper, we prove the stability of the generalized Eulerian polynomials and hence confirm Nunge’s conjecture. Our proof is based on Brändén’s stable multivariate Eulerian polynomials. By acting on Brändén’s polynomials with a stability-preserving linear operator, we get a multivariate refinement of the generalized Eulerian polynomials. To prove Nunge’s conjecture, we also develop a general approach to obtain generalized Sturm sequences from bivariate stable polynomials.     

Generalized Adler-Moser and Loutsenko polynomials for point vortex equilibria

Equilibrium configurations of point vortices with circulations of two discrete values are associated with the zeros of a sequence of polynomials having many continuous parameters: the Adler-Moser polynomials in the case of circulation ratio ?1, and the Loutsenko polynomials in the case of ratio ?2. In this paper a new set of polynomial sequences generalizing the vortex system to three values of circulations is constructed. These polynomials are extensions of the previously known polynomials in the sense that they are special cases of the latter when the third circulation is zero. The polynomials are naturally connected with rational functions that satisfy a second-order differential equation.