Congruences for Sheffer sequences (Q6562423)

Let \(\{P_{n}(x)\}_{n\in\mathbb{N}}\) be the sequence of Scheffer polynomials, i.e., the sequence coming from the power series expansion \N\[\Ng(t)e^{xf(t)}=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}\frac{P_{n}(x)}{n!}t^{n}, \N\]\Nwhere \(f(t)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}f_{n}t^{n}/n!, g(t)=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}g_{n}t^{n}/n!\) are formal power series with \(f_{0}=0\) and \(g_{0}, f_{1}\neq 0\). The class of Sheffer polynomials contains Touchard (Bell), factorial, Hermite, Bernoulli, and Laguerre polynomials. In the paper the author investigates arithmetic properties of Sheffer polynomials. The author establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for Sheffer sequences to satisfy Touchard type congruence \(P_{n+p}(x) \equiv x^p P_n(x) + P_{n+1}(x) \pmod{p}\) and its generalisations, as well as the congruence \(P_{n+p}(x) \equiv P_p(x) P_n(x) \pmod{p}\), which characterises factorial-like polynomials, where \(p\) is a prime number. Moreover, some results concerning periodicity of the number sequences associated with Sheffer polynomials modulo \(p\) are obtained. The results generalise the classical periodicity of Bell numbers, showing that the minimal period depends on parameters of the associated generating function. As an illustration of the obtained results, a rich collection of examples involving classical polynomial sequences, such as factorial, Laguerre, and Hermite polynomials, is presented.