On polynomial functions on non-commutative groups (Q1674438)

It is well known that the polynomials on Euclidean spaces can be characterized by functional equations involving the difference operators. The authors of the article under review consider generalizations to functions on topological groups \(G\). For \(h\in G\) the difference operator \(\Delta_h\) is defined by \((\Delta_h f)(x)=f(xh)-f(x)\), where \(f\) is a function on \(G\). The authors study the conditions \(\Delta_{h_{n+1}}\cdots\Delta_{h_1}f=0\) for arbitrary \(h_1,\cdots,h_{n+1}\in G\) and \(\Delta_h^{n+1}f=0\) for every \(h\in G\). It turns out that for many groups these two classes coincide. However, this is not true for all groups. The authors also consider Montel versions of such conditions.