Lanczos Meets Orthogonal Polynomials

Abstract: We establish a direct correspondence between the Lanczos approach and the orthogonal polynomials approach in random matrix theory. In the large-$N$ and continuum limits, the average Lanczos coefficients and the recursion coefficients become equivalent, with the precise mapping $\sqrt{R(x)} = b(1-x)$ and $S(x) = a(1-x)$. As a result, the two formalisms yield identical expressions for the leading density of states. We further analyze the Krylov dynamics associated with the recursion coefficients and show that the orthogonal polynomials admit a natural interpretation as Krylov polynomials. This picture is realized explicitly in the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble, where all quantities can be computed analytically.