This book describes the theory and applications of discrete orthogonal polynomials--polynomials that are orthogonal on a finite set. Unlike other books, "Discrete Orthogonal Polynomials" addresses completely general weight functions and presents a new methodology for handling the discrete weights case.

J. Baik, T. Kriecherbauer, K. T.-R. McLaughlin & P. D. Miller focus on asymptotic aspects of general, nonclassical discrete orthogonal polynomials and set out applications of current interest. Topics covered include the probability theory of discrete orthogonal polynomial ensembles and the continuum limit of the Toda lattice. The primary concern throughout is the asymptotic behavior of discrete orthogonal polynomials for general, nonclassical measures, in the joint limit where the degree increases as some fraction of the total number of points of collocation. The book formulates the orthogonality conditions defining these polynomials as a kind of Riemann-Hilbert problem and then generalizes the steepest descent method for such a problem to carry out the necessary asymptotic analysis.

This book represents the first asymptotic analysis, via completely integrable techniques, of the initial value problem for the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation in the semiclassical asymptotic regime. This problem is a key model in nonlinear optical physics and has increasingly important applications in the telecommunications industry. The authors exploit complete integrability to establish pointwise asymptotics for this problem's solution in the semiclassical regime and explicit integration for the underlying nonlinear, elliptic, partial differential equations suspected of governing the semiclassical behavior. In doing so they also aim to explain the observed gradient catastrophe for the underlying nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations, and to set forth a detailed, pointwise asymptotic description of the violent oscillations that emerge following the gradient catastrophe.

To achieve this, the authors have extended the reach of two powerful analytical techniques that have arisen through the asymptotic analysis of integrable systems: the Lax-Levermore-Venakides variational approach to singular limits in integrable systems, and Deift and Zhou's nonlinear Steepest-Descent/Stationary Phase method for the analysis of Riemann-Hilbert problems. In particular, they introduce a systematic procedure for handling certain Riemann-Hilbert problems with poles accumulating on curves in the plane. This book, which includes an appendix on the use of the Fredholm theory for Riemann-Hilbert problems in the Holder class, is intended for researchers and graduate students of applied mathematics and analysis, especially those with an interest in integrable systems, nonlinear waves, or complex analysis."