Convolution shift, \(c\)-orthogonality preserving maps, and the Laguerre polynomials (Q1177032)

In this interesting paper, the author characterizes maps from the space \({\mathcal R}[x]\) of all polynomials over the reals to itself, that preserve \(c\)-orthogonal polynomial sequences. The latter may be defined as follows: For polynomials \(P\) and \(Q\), their \(c\)-convolution is \[ P\langle c\rangle Q:={d \over dx}\int^ x_ 0 P(x-t)Q(t)dt. \] This concept was considered earlier by Amerbaev and Naoorzbaev. A sequence \(\{q_ n\}^ \infty_ 0\) of polynomials is called a C.O.P.S (\(c\)-orthonormal polynomial sequence) if there is a linear functional \({\mathcal L: \mathcal R}[x]\to\mathbb{R}\) such that \({\mathcal L}[q_ n\langle c\rangle q_ m]=k_ n\delta_{nm}\), where \(k_ n\neq 0\), \(n\geq 0\). We say that a map \(\psi: {\mathcal R}[x]\to{\mathcal R}[x]\) is \(c\)-orthogonality preserving if \(\psi(p)\) has the same degree as \(p\) for every polynomial \(p\), and \(\{\psi(p_ n)\}^ \infty_{n=0}\) is a C.O.P.S whenever \(\{p_ n\}^ \infty_{n=0}\) is. The author shows that \(\psi\) is such a map iff \(\psi=s\gamma_{a,b}\), where \(s\neq 0\), \(a\neq 0\), and \(\gamma_{a,b}\) is the map on \({\mathcal R}[x]\) defined by \(\gamma_{a,b}[x^ n/n!]=b^ nL_ n(-ax/b)\), where \(L_ n(\cdot)\) is the \(n\)-th Laguerre orthogonal polynomial of order zero. Some applications are given.