Hermite-Poulain theorems for linear finite difference operators (Q2216652)

One of the most important problems in the zero distribution theory of polynomials and transcendental entire functions is to describe linear transformations that map polynomials with all roots in a given area into the set of polynomial with all roots in another given area. Two of the first researchers who started studying such problems systematically were Hermite and, later, Laguerre. Beginning with 1914, Pólya and Schur and many other authors including Obreschkov, Karlin, Levin, Csordas, Craven, de Boor, Varga, Iserles, Nørsett, Saff etc., studied the linear operators preserving real-rootedness of real polynomials. In this work, the authors make an attempt to transfer the existing theory of real-rootedness preservers to the basis of Pochhammer symbols and to develop a finite difference analogue of the Pólya-Schur theory.