Random polynomials: Central limit theorems for the real roots

Abstract

The number of real roots has been a central subject in the theory of random polynomials and random functions since the fundamental papers of Littlewood, Offord, and Kac in the 1940s. The main task here is to determine the limiting distribution of this random variable. In 1974, Maslova famously proved a central limit theorem (CLT) for the number of real roots of Kac polynomials. It has remained the only limiting theorem available for the number of real roots for more than four decades. In this paper, using a new approach, we derive a general CLT for the number of real roots of a large class of random polynomials with coefficients growing polynomially. Our result both generalizes and strengthens Maslova’s theorem.