P A M Dirac meets M G Krein: matrix orthogonal polynomials and Dirac's equation

Abstract

The solution of several instances of the Schrodinger equation (1926) is made possible by using the well-known orthogonal polynomials associated with the names of Hermite, Legendre and Laguerre. A relativistic alternative to this equation was proposed by Dirac (1928) involving differential operators with matrix coefficients. In 1949 Krein developed a theory of matrix-valued orthogonal polynomials without any reference to differential equations. In Duran A J (1997 Matrix inner product having a matrix symmetric second order differential operator Rocky Mt. J. Math. 27 585–600), one of us raised the question of determining instances of these matrix-valued polynomials going along with second order differential operators with matrix coefficients. In Duran A J and Grunbaum F A (2004 Orthogonal matrix polynomials satisfying second order differential equations Int. Math. Res. Not. 10 461–84), we developed a method to produce such examples and observed that in certain cases there is a connection with the instance of Dirac's equation with a central potential. We observe that the case of the central Coulomb potential discussed in the physics literature in Darwin C G (1928 Proc. R. Soc. A 118 654), Nikiforov A F and Uvarov V B (1988 Special Functions of Mathematical Physics (Basle: Birkhauser) and Rose M E 1961 Relativistic Electron Theory (New York: Wiley)), and its solution, gives rise to a matrix weight function whose orthogonal polynomials solve a second order differential equation. To the best of our knowledge this is the first instance of a connection between the solution of the first order matrix equation of Dirac and the theory of matrix-valued orthogonal polynomials initiated by M G Krein.