Orthogonal Polynomials on the Unit Circle (American Mathematical Society Colloquium Publications)

by Barry Simon

This two-part volume gives a comprehensive overview of the theory of probability measures on the unit circle, viewed especially in terms of the orthogonal polynomials defined by those measures. A major theme involves the connections between the Verblunsky coefficients (the coefficients of the recurrence equation for the orthogonal polynomials) and the measures, an analog of the spectral theory of one-dimensional Schrodinger operators. Among the topics discussed along the way are the asymptotics of Toeplitz determinants (Szego's theorems), limit theorems for the density of the zeros of orthogonal polynomials, matrix representations for multiplication by $z$ (CMV matrices), periodic Verblunsky coefficients from the point of view of meromorphic functions on hyperelliptic surfaces, and connections between the theories of orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle and on the real line. The book is suitable for graduate students and researchers interested in analysis.

1044 pages, Hardcover

Published December 21, 2004

About the author

Barry Simon is an eminent American mathematical physicist and the IBM Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (Emeritus) at Caltech, known for his prolific contributions in spectral theory, functional analysis, and nonrelativistic quantum mechanics (particularly Schrödinger operators), including the connections to atomic and molecular physics. He has authored more than 300 publications on mathematics and physics.

More particularly, his work has focused on broad areas of mathematical physics and analysis covering: quantum field theory, statistical mechanics, Brownian motion, random matrix theory, general nonrelativistic quantum mechanics (including N-body systems and resonances), nonrelativistic quantum mechanics in electric and magnetic fields, the semi-classical limit, the singular continuous spectrum, random and ergodic Schrödinger operators, orthogonal polynomials, and non-selfadjoint spectral theory.

Dr. Simon is a fellow of the American Mathematical Society (2012), a winner of the Henri Poincaré Prize (2012), a winner of the János Bolyai International Mathematical Prize (2015), a winner of the 2016 Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement, and a winner of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics (2018).