A functional equation with involution related to the cosine function (Q264165)

Let \(G\) be an abelian group, \(\mathbb C\) the field of complex numbers, \(\alpha\in G\) any fixed element and \(\sigma:G\to G\) an involution. The authors investigate the functional equation \(f(x+\sigma y+\alpha)+g(x+y+\alpha)=2f(x)f(y)\), where \(f,g:G \to\mathbb C\). The main result of the paper is given by the following theorem. Theorem. Any solution of the functional equation \[ f(x+\sigma y+\alpha)+g(x+y+\alpha)=2f(x)f(y) \tag{1} \] has one of the following forms: {\parindent=0.7cm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)] \(f=\gamma\), \(g=\gamma(2\gamma -1)\), where \(\gamma\in\mathbb C\); \item[(ii)] \(f=dh\), \(g=d\Big[\frac{2d}{h(\alpha)}-1\Big]h\), where \(d \in\mathbb C\setminus \{0\}\), \(h\) is a character of \(G\) and \(h=h\circ\sigma\); \item[(iii)] \(f=\frac{1}{2}[h(\sigma \alpha)h+h(\alpha)h\circ \sigma]\), \(g=\frac{1}{2}\Big[\frac{h(\sigma \alpha)^2}{h(\alpha)}h+\frac{h(\alpha)^2}{h(\sigma \alpha)}h\circ \sigma\Big]\), where \(h\neq h\circ \sigma\). \end{itemize}} Conversely, each of the three forms defines a solution \((f,g)\) of the functional equation (1). Several equations considered in literature, generalizing sine and cosine equations, are special cases of the Equation (1) above.