Nikishin systems on star-like sets: Ratio asymptotics of the associated multiple orthogonal polynomials

Abstract

We investigate the ratio asymptotic behavior of the sequence $(Q_{n})_{n=0}^{\infty}$ of multiple orthogonal polynomials associated with a Nikishin system of $p\geq 1$ measures that are compactly supported on the star-like set of $p+1$ rays $S_{+}=\{z\in\mathbb{C}: z^{p+1}\geq 0\}$. The main algebraic property of these polynomials is that they satisfy a three-term recurrence relation of the form $zQ_{n}(z)=Q_{n+1}(z)+a_{n} Q_{n-p}(z)$ with $a_{n}>0$ for all $n\geq p$. Under a Rakhmanov-type condition on the measures generating the Nikishin system, we prove that the sequence of ratios $Q_{n+1}(z)/Q_{n}(z)$ and the sequence $a_{n}$ of recurrence coefficients are limit periodic with period $p(p+1)$. Our results complement some results obtained by the first author and Mi\~{n}a-D\'{i}az in a recent paper in which algebraic properties and weak asymptotics of these polynomials were investigated. Our results also extend some results obtained by the first author in the case $p=2$.