On the higher-order differential equations for the generalized Laguerre polynomials and Bessel functions

Abstract: In the enduring, fruitful research on spectral differential equations with polynomial eigenfunctions, Koornwinder's generalized Laguerre polynomials are playing a prominent role. Being orthogonal on the positive half-line with respect to the Laguerre weight and an additional point mass $N \ge 0$ at the origin, these polynomials satisfy, for any $\alpha\in\mathbb{N}_{0}$, a linear differential equation of order $2\alpha+4$. In the present paper we establish a new elementary representation of the corresponding 'Laguerre-type' differential operator and show its symmetry with respect to the underlying weighted scalar product. Furthermore, we discuss various other representations of the operator, mainly given in factorized form, and show their equivalence. Finally, by applying a limiting process to the Laguerre-type equation, we deduce new elementary representations for the higher-order differential equation satisfied by the Bessel-type functions on the positive half-line.