Zero Distribution of Random Polynomials

Igor E. Pritsker

Published 2014-09-04Version 1

We study global distribution of zeros for a wide range of ensembles of random polynomials. Two main directions are related to almost sure limits of the zero counting measures, and to quantitative results on the expected number of zeros in various sets. In the simplest case of Kac polynomials, given by the linear combinations of monomials with i.i.d. random coefficients, it is well known that their zeros are asymptotically uniformly distributed near the unit circumference under mild assumptions on the coefficients. We give estimates of the expected discrepancy between the zero counting measure and the normalized arclength on the unit circle. Similar results are established for polynomials with random coefficients spanned by different bases, e.g., by orthogonal polynomials. We show almost sure convergence of the zero counting measures to the corresponding equilibrium measures for associated sets in the plane, and quantify this convergence. Random coefficients may be dependent and need not have identical distributions in our results.