On Semi-Classical Orthogonal Polynomials Associated with a Modified Sextic Freud-Type Weight

Polynomials that are orthogonal with respect to a perturbation of the Freud weight function by some parameter, known to be modified Freudian orthogonal polynomials, are considered. In this contribution, we investigate certain properties of semi-classical modified Freud-type polynomials in which their corresponding semi-classical weight function is a more general deformation of the classical scaled sextic Freud weight |x|αexp(−cx6),c>0,α>−1. Certain characterizing properties of these polynomials such as moments, recurrence coefficients, holonomic equations that they satisfy, and certain non-linear differential-recurrence equations satisfied by the recurrence coefficients, using compatibility conditions for ladder operators for these orthogonal polynomials, are investigated. Differential-difference equations were also obtained via Shohat’s quasi-orthogonality approach and also second-order linear ODEs (with rational coefficients) satisfied by these polynomials. Modified Freudian polynomials can also be obtained via Chihara’s symmetrization process from the generalized Airy-type polynomials. The obtained linear differential equation plays an essential role in the electrostatic interpretation for the distribution of zeros of the corresponding Freudian polynomials.