Finite-term relations for planar orthogonal polynomials

Abstract

We prove by elementary means that, if the Bergman orthogonal polynomials of a bounded simply-connected planar domain, with sufficiently regular boundary, satisfy a finite-term relation, then the domain is algebraic and characterized by the fact that Dirichlet's problem with boundary polynomial data has a polynomial solution. This, and an additional compactness assumption, is known to imply that the domain is an ellipse. In particular, we show that if the Bergman orthogonal polynomials satisfy a three-term relation then the domain is an ellipse. This completes an inquiry started forty years ago by Peter Duren. © 2007 Birkhäuser Verlag Basel/Switzerland.