Reelle orthogonale Polynomlösungen von komplexen Differenzengleichungen zweiter Ordnung. (Real orthogonal polynomial solutions of second order complex difference equations) (Q803829)

The author considers polynomial solutions \(y_{\nu}(n)\) (of degree \(\nu\) in n) of the difference equation \((en^ 2+2fn+g)\Delta^ 2y_{\nu}(n)+(2\epsilon n+\gamma)\Delta y_{\nu}(n)=\nu [(\nu - 1)e+2\epsilon]y_{\nu}(n+1),\) where e,f,g,\(\epsilon\),\(\gamma\) are complex numbers and \(\nu =0,1,2,... \). He has shown in an earlier paper [Math. Z. 78, 439-445 (1962; Zbl 0107.054)] that any linear homogeneous difference equation which has polynomial solutions \(y_{\nu}(n)\) of all degrees \(\nu\) takes this form. Up to a constant factor, the solutions are unique for all \(\nu\) if \(2\epsilon\neq 0,-e,-2e,..\). and unique for \(\nu =0,...,M\) if \(2\epsilon\neq 0,-e,...(1-s)e\) and \(M=[(s-1)/2]\). If normalized to be monic, i.e., the coefficient of the highest power is 1, they satisfy a recursion relation \(y_{\nu +1}(n)=(n- c_{\nu})y_{\nu}(n)-d_{\nu}y_{\nu -1}(n)\) for certain coefficients \(c_{\nu}\) and \(d_{\nu}.\) The author now considers the case that n is imaginary, say \(n=im\) where m is real, and defines \(y^*_{\nu}\) by \(y_{\nu}(n)=i^{\nu}y^*_{\nu}(m)\), the \(y^*_{\nu}\) satisfying a similar recursion formula. Then he determines in which cases the \(y^*_{\nu}\) are real and obtains an orthogonality relation for them. For example, the case \(e=1\) and \(\epsilon >0\) leads (under certain assumptions on f,g,\(\gamma\)) to real polynomials \(y^*_{\nu}\) and the orthogonality relation \[ \int^{\infty}_{-\infty}| \Gamma (im+f- 1+d)\Gamma (im+f-1-d)|^ 2 y^*_{\nu}(m)y^*_{\mu}(m)dm=\sigma_{\nu}\delta_{\nu,\mu}, \] where \(\delta_{\nu,\mu}\) is Kronecker's symbol and \(\sigma_{\nu}\) is given explicitly. Similar results are obtained for the cases \(e=1\), \(\epsilon <0\) and \(e=0\), \(f=\).