Spectral methods for orthogonal rational functions

We present an operator theoretic approach to orthogonal rational functions based on the identification of a suitable matrix representation of the multiplication operator associated with the corresponding orthogonality measure. Two alternatives are discussed, leading to representations which are linear fractional transformations with matrix coefficients acting on infinite Hessenberg or five-diagonal unitary matrices. This approach permits us to recover the orthogonality measure throughout the spectral analysis of an infinite matrix depending uniquely on the poles and the parameters of the recurrence relation for the orthogonal rational functions. Besides, the zeros of the orthogonal and para-orthogonal rational functions are identified as the eigenvalues of matrix linear fractional transformations of finite Hessenberg or five-diagonal matrices. As an application we use operator perturbation theory results to obtain new relations between the support of the orthogonality measure and the location of the poles and parameters of the recurrence relation for the orthogonal rational functions.