On the distribution of Rudin-Shapiro polynomials and lacunary walks on $SU(2)$

Abstract

We characterize the limiting distribution of Rudin-Shapiro polynomials, showing that, normalized, their values become uniformly distributed in the disc. This resolves conjectures of Saffari and Montgomery. Our proof proceeds by relating the polynomials' distribution to that of a product of weakly dependent random matrices, which we analyze using the representation theory of $SU(2)$. Our approach leads us to a non-commutative analogue of the classical central limit theorem of Salem and Zygmund, which may be of independent interest.