Topic #6 ------------ OP-SF NET 8.1 -------------- January 15, 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: OP-SF NET Editor (muldoon@yorku.ca) Subject: New book on Orthogonal Polynomials and Random Matrices [From the AMS web site] Orthogonal Polynomials and Random Matrices: A Riemann-Hilbert Approach Percy Deift, New York University-Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences Description This volume expands on a set of lectures held at the Courant Institute on Riemann-Hilbert problems, orthogonal polynomials, and random matrix theory. The goal of the course was to prove universality for a variety of statistical quantities arising in the theory of random matrix models. The central question was the following: Why do very general ensembles of random n times n matrices exhibit universal behavior as n -> infinity? The main ingredient in the proof is the steepest descent method for oscillatory Riemann-Hilbert problems. Titles in this series are copublished with the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University. Contents Riemann-Hilbert problems Jacobi operators Orthogonal polynomials Continued fractions Random matrix theory Equilibrium measures Asymptotics for orthogonal polynomials Universality Bibliography Details: Publisher: American Mathematical Society Distributor: American Mathematical Society Series: Courant Lecture Notes, ISSN: 1529-9031 Volume: 3 Publication Year: 2000 ISBN: 0-8218-2695-6 Paging: 261 pp. Binding: Softcover List Price: $31 Institutional Member Price: $25 Individual Member Price: $25 Order Code: CLN/3