Polynomial solutions of differential-difference equations (Q619074)

Let \(P_n(x)\) with \(n\geq0\) be a family of univariate polynomials which are solutions of the differential-difference equation \[ P_{n+1}(x)=A_n(x) P_n(x)'+B_n(x) P_n(x) \] for polynomials \(A_n(x)\) and \(B_n(x)\) with degrees 2 and 1, respectively. Using the function \(K_n(x)=\text{exp}(\int_{0}^x\frac{B_n(t)}{A_n(t)} dx)\) the authors give criteria whether the zeros of \(P_n(x)\) are either real and simple, or the zeros of \(P_n(x)\) and \(P_{n+1}(x)\) are interlacing, or the zeroes fulfill both properties. These criteria are illustrated, e.g., with the Euler-Frobenius polynomials, Bell polynomials or a family of polynomials defined by hypergeometric series.