Stieltjes functions and discrete classical orthogonal polynomials (Q382456)

In this contribution the authors deal with a characterization of discrete classical orthogonal polynomials in the uniform lattice (the so called Charlier, Krawtchouk, Meixner, and Hahn orthogonal polynomials) based on some analytic properties of the associated Stieltjes function, the \(z\)-transform of their moments. Let us remind that for such families of polynomials the corresponding linear functional \(u\) satisfies a Pearson-type equation \(\nabla (A(x) u)= B(x) u,\) where \(A(x)\) and \(B(x)\) are polynomials of degrees at most 2 and 1, respectively, and \(\nabla\) is the backward difference operator. In such a case, the authors prove that the corresponding Stieltjes function \(S(z)\) satisfies a first order linear difference equation \(\nabla [A(z)S(z)] = B(z) S(z) + c\), where \(c\) is a complex number depending on the leading coefficients of the polynomials \(A\) and \(B.\) Notice that in the paper under review a representation of the Stieltjes function in terms of falling factorials of the variable \(z\) instead of the standard one based on monomials with negative exponents is used. Finally, for such discrete classical linear functionals, the corresponding Stieltjes function is represented as an hypergeometric function. For semi-classical discrete linear functionals, i.e. there are no constraints about the degrees of the polynomials \(A(x)\) and \(B(x)\) in the associated Pearson-type equation as in the classical case, a similar characterization by using their Stieltjes functions has been done in [\textit{F. Marcellán} and \textit{L. Salto}, J. Difference Equ. Appl. 4, No. 5, 463--496 (1998; Zbl 0916.33006)].