Some classical multiple orthogonal polynomials

Recently there has been a renewed interest in an extension of the notion of orthogonal polynomials known as multiple orthogonal polynomials. This notion comes from simultaneous rational approximation (Hermite-Pade approximation) of a system of several functions. We describe seven families of multiple orthogonal polynomials which have he same flavor as the very classical orthogonal polynomials of Jacobi, Laguerre and Hermite. We also mention some open research problems and some applications

Modified Bernstein Polynomials and Jacobi Polynomials in q-Calculus

We introduce here a generalization of the modified Bernstein polynomials for Jacobi weights using the $q$-Bernstein basis proposed by G.M. Phillips to generalize classical Bernstein Polynomials. The function is evaluated at points which are in geometric progression in $]0,1[$. Numerous properties of the modified Bernstein Polynomials are extended to their $q$-analogues: simultaneous approximation, pointwise convergence even for unbounded functions, shape-preserving property, Voronovskaya theorem, self-adjointness. Some properties of the eigenvectors, which are $q$-extensions of Jacobi polynomials, are given

Polynomial Approximation in Sobolev Spaces on the Unit Sphere and the Unit Ball

This work is a continuation of the recent study by the authors on approximation theory over the sphere and the ball. The main results define new Sobolev spaces on these domains and study polynomial approximations for functions in these spaces, including simultaneous approximation by polynomials and relation between best approximation to a function and to its derivatives.Comment: 16 page

Nikishin systems are perfect

K. Mahler introduced the concept of perfect systems in the general theory he developed for the simultaneous Hermite-Pade approximation of analytic functions. We prove that Nikishin systems are perfect providing, by far, the largest class of systems of functions for which this important property holds. As consequences, in the context of Nikishin systems, we obtain: an extension of Markov's theorem to simultaneous Hermite-Pade approximation, a general result on the convergence of simultaneous quadrature rules of Gauss-Jacobi type, the logarithmic asymptotics of general sequences of multiple orthogonal polynomials, and an extension of the Denisov-Rakhmanov theorem for the ratio asymptotics of mixed type multiple orthogonal polynomials.Comment: 39 page

Cauchy Biorthogonal Polynomials

The paper investigates the properties of certain biorthogonal polynomials appearing in a specific simultaneous Hermite-Pade' approximation scheme. Associated to any totally positive kernel and a pair of positive measures on the positive axis we define biorthogonal polynomials and prove that their zeroes are simple and positive. We then specialize the kernel to the Cauchy kernel 1/{x+y} and show that the ensuing biorthogonal polynomials solve a four-term recurrence relation, have relevant Christoffel-Darboux generalized formulae, and their zeroes are interlaced. In addition, these polynomial solve a combination of Hermite-Pade' approximation problems to a Nikishin system of order 2. The motivation arises from two distant areas; on one side, in the study of the inverse spectral problem for the peakon solution of the Degasperis-Procesi equation; on the other side, from a random matrix model involving two positive definite random Hermitian matrices. Finally, we show how to characterize these polynomials in term of a Riemann-Hilbert problem.Comment: 38 pages, partially replaces arXiv:0711.408