Differential operators, radial parts and a one-parameter family of hypergeometric functions of type BC

Abstract: We introduce the symmetric (respectively, non-symmetric) $\tau_{-\ell}-$hypergeometric functions associated with a root system of type $BC$ as joint eigenfunctions of a commutative algebra of differential (respectively, differential-reflection) operators. Under certain conditions on the real parameter $\ell$, we derive their properties (positivity, estimates, asymptotics and boundedness) by establishing the analogous properties for the Heckman-Opdam (symmetric and non-symmetric) hypergeometric functions corresponding to (not necessarily positive) multiplicity functions which are standard.