Edge Density Expansions for the Classical Gaussian and Laguerre Ensembles

Abstract

Recent work of Bornemann has uncovered hitherto hidden integrable structures relating to the asymptotic expansion of quantities at the soft edge of the Gaussian and Laguerre random matrix ensembles. These quantities are spacing distributions and the eigenvalue density, and the findings cover the cases of the three symmetry classes: orthogonal, unitary, and symplectic. In this work we give a different viewpoint on these results in the case of the soft edge scaled density, and in the Laguerre case we initiate an analogous study at the hard edge. Our tool is the scalar differential equation satisfied by the density, known from earlier work. Unlike integral representations, these differential equations in soft edge scaling variables isolate the function of $N$ that is the expansion variable. Moreover, they give information on the correction terms which supplements the findings from the work of Bornemann. In the case of the Gaussian ensemble, we can demonstrate analogous features for Dyson index $\beta =6$, which suggests a broader class of models, namely the classical $\beta$ ensembles, having asymptotic expansions exhibiting integrable features. For the Laguerre ensembles at the hard edge, we give the explicit form of the correction at second order for unitary symmetry, and at first order in the orthogonal and symplectic cases. Various differential relations are demonstrated.