Geometry of limits of zeros of polynomial sequences of type $(1,1)$

Abstract: In this paper, we study the root distribution of some univariate polynomials satisfying a recurrence of order two with linear polynomial coefficients. We show that the set of non-isolated limits of zeros of the polynomials is either an arc, or a circle, or a "lollipop", or an interval. As an application, we discover a sufficient and necessary condition for the universal real-rootedness of the polynomials, subject to certain sign condition on the coefficients of the recurrence. Moreover, we obtain the sharp bound for all the zeros when they are real.