Q-difference polynomial
# Q-difference polynomial

In combinatorial mathematics, the q-difference polynomials or q-harmonic polynomials are a polynomial sequence defined in terms of the q-derivative. They are a generalized type of Brenke polynomial, and generalize the Appell polynomials. See also Sheffer sequence.

## Definition

The q-difference polynomials satisfy the relation

    $\left({\frac {d}{dz}}\right)_{q}p_{n}(z)={\frac {p_{n}(qz)-p_{n}(z)}{qz-z}}={\frac {q^{n}-1}{q-1}}p_{n-1}(z)=[n]_{q}p_{n-1}(z)$

where the derivative symbol on the left is the q-derivative. In the limit of $q\to 1$, this becomes the definition of the Appell polynomials:

    ${\frac {d}{dz}}p_{n}(z)=np_{n-1}(z).$

## Generating function

The generalized generating function for these polynomials is of the type of generating function for Brenke polynomials, namely

    $A(w)e_{q}(zw)=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {p_{n}(z)}{[n]_{q}!}}w^{n}$

where $e_{q}(t)$ is the q-exponential:

    $e_{q}(t)=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {t^{n}}{[n]_{q}!}}=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {t^{n}(1-q)^{n}}{(q;q)_{n}}}.$

Here, $[n]_{q}!$ is the q-factorial and

    $(q;q)_{n}=(1-q^{n})(1-q^{n-1})\cdots (1-q)$

is the q-Pochhammer symbol. The function $A(w)$ is arbitrary but assumed to have an expansion

    $A(w)=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }a_{n}w^{n}{\mbox{ with }}a_{0}\neq 0.$

Any such $A(w)$ gives a sequence of q-difference polynomials.

