Confluent hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials related to the rational quantum Calogero system with harmonic confinement

Two families (type $A$ and type $B$) of confluent hypergeometric polynomials in several variables are studied. We describe the orthogonality properties, differential equations, and Pieri type recurrence formulas for these families. In the one-variable case, the polynomials in question reduce to the Hermite polynomials (type $A$) and the Laguerre polynomials (type $B$), respectively. The multivariable confluent hypergeometric families considered here may be used to diagonalize the rational quantum Calogero models with harmonic confinement (for the classical root systems) and are closely connected to the (symmetric) generalized spherical harmonics investigated by Dunkl.Comment: AMS-LaTeX v1.2 (with amssymb.sty), 34 page

Properties of some families of hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials in several variables

Limiting cases are studied of the Koornwinder-Macdonald multivariable generalization of the Askey-Wilson polynomials. We recover recently and not so recently introduced families of hypergeometric orthogonal polynomials in several variables consisting of multivariable Wilson, continuous Hahn and Jacobi type polynomials, respectively. For each class of polynomials we provide systems of difference (or differential) equations, recurrence relations, and expressions for the norms of the polynomials in terms of the norm of the constant polynomial.Comment: 42 pages, AMSLaTeX 1.1 with amssym

Some examples of matrix-valued orthogonal functions having a differential and an integral operator as eigenfunctions

The aim of this paper is to show some examples of matrix-valued orthogonal functions on the real line which are simultaneously eigenfunctions of a second-order differential operator of Schr\"{o}dinger type and an integral operator of Fourier type. As a consequence we derive integral representations of these functions as well as other useful structural formulas. Some of these functions are plotted to show the relationship with the Hermite or wave functions

Using \D-operators to construct orthogonal polynomials satisfying higher order difference or differential equations

We introduce the concept of \D-operators associated to a sequence of polynomials $(p_n)_n$ and an algebra \A of operators acting in the linear space of polynomials. In this paper, we show that this concept is a powerful tool to generate families of orthogonal polynomials which are eigenfunctions of a higher order difference or differential operator. Indeed, given a classical discrete family $(p_n)_n$ of orthogonal polynomials (Charlier, Meixner, Krawtchouk or Hahn), we form a new sequence of polynomials $(q_n)_n$ by considering a linear combination of two consecutive $p_n$: $q_n=p_n+\beta_np_{n-1}$, \beta_n\in \RR. Using the concept of \D-operator, we determine the structure of the sequence $(\beta_n)_n$ in order that the polynomials $(q_n)_n$ are common eigenfunctions of a higher order difference operator. In addition, we generate sequences $(\beta_n)_n$ for which the polynomials $(q_n)_n$ are also orthogonal with respect to a measure. The same approach is applied to the classical families of Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials.Comment: 43 page

A Bochner Theorem for Dunkl Polynomials

We establish an analogue of the Bochner theorem for first order operators of Dunkl type, that is we classify all such operators having polynomial solutions. Under natural conditions it is seen that the only families of orthogonal polynomials in this category are limits of little and big $q$-Jacobi polynomials as $q=-1$

Kundt spacetimes as solutions of topologically massive gravity

We obtain new solutions of topologically massive gravity. We find the general Kundt solutions, which in three dimensions are spacetimes admitting an expansion-free null geodesic congruence. The solutions are generically of algebraic type II, but special cases are types III, N or D. Those of type D are the known spacelike-squashed AdS_3 solutions, and of type N are the known AdS pp-waves or new solutions. Those of types II and III are the first known solutions of these algebraic types. We present explicitly the Kundt solutions that are CSI spacetimes, for which all scalar polynomial curvature invariants are constant, whereas for the general case we reduce the field equations to a series of ordinary differential equations. The CSI solutions of types II and III are deformations of spacelike-squashed AdS_3 and the round AdS_3, respectively.Comment: 30 pages. This material has come from splitting v1 of arXiv:0906.3559 into 2 separate papers. v2: minor changes