The computation of orthogonal rational functions and their interpolating properties

We shall consider nested spacesl _n ,n = 0, 1, 21... of rational functions withn prescribed poles outside the unit disk of the complex plane. We study orthogonal basis functions of these spaces for a general positive measure on the unit circle. In the special case where all poles are placed at infinity,l _n = _n , the polynomials of degree at mostn. Thus the present paper is a study of orthogonal rational functions, which generalize the orthogonal Szegö polynomials. In this paper we shall concentrate on the functions of the second kind which are natural generalizations of the corresponding polynomials.The work of the first author is partially supported by a research grant from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research