Zeros of Meixner and Krawtchouk polynomials

Abstract

We investigate the zeros of a family of hypergeometric polynomials $_2F_1(-n,-x;a;t)$, $n\in\nn$ that are known as the Meixner polynomials for certain values of the parameters $a$ and $t$. When $a=-N$, $N\in\nn$ and $t=\frac1{p}$, the polynomials $K_n(x;p,N)=(-N)_n\phantom{}_2F_1(-n,-x;-N;\frac1{p})$, $n=0,1,...N$, $0<p<1$ are referred to as Krawtchouk polynomials. We prove results for the zero location of the orthogonal polynomials $K_{n}(x;p,a)$, $0<p<1$ and $a>n-1$, the quasi-orthogonal polynomials $K_{n}(x;p,a)$, $k-1<a<k$, $k=1,...,n-1$ and $p>1$ or $p<0$ as well as the non-orthogonal polynomials $K_{n}(x;p,N)$, $0<p<1$ and $n=N+1,N+2,...$. We also show that the polynomials $K_{n}(x;p,a)$, $a\in \rr$ are real-rooted when $p\rightarrow 0$ We use a generalised Sturmian sequence argument and the discrete orthogonality of the Krawtchouk polynomials for certain parameter values to prove that all the zeros of Meixner polynomials are real and positive for parameter ranges where they are no longer orthogonal.