On differential operators for Chebyshev polynomials in several variables (Q2011308)

It is well known that classical families of orthogonal polynomials in one variable arise as eigenfunctions of second order differential (also difference and \(q\)-difference) equations, which in turn constitute certain Sturm-Liouville problems. Indeed, in the first half of the previous century, a comprehensive characterization and classification of these classical families was carried out by Bochner, in terms of the coefficients of the aforementioned differential equations. These differential equations also arise in quantum mechanics after applying separation of variables of the corresponding Schrödinger equation with symmetries, as is the case of the 3D harmonic oscillator, or the Hydrogen atom. In these very nice paper, the authors have adequately addressed that, when the partial differential equation under study do not possess the convenient symmetry properties, instead of one variable orthogonal polynomial families, some other systems of orthogonal polynomials in several variables may appear as the corresponding eigenfunctions. Thus, they obtain certain partial differential operators whose eigenfunctions are the bivariate Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials of the first kind, associated with root systems of the simple Lie algebras \(C_{2}\) and \(G_{2}\). So far in the literature, such operators were known to be associated just with the simple Lie algebra \(A_{2}\).