In mathematics, Brenke polynomials are special cases of generalized Appell polynomials, and Brenke–Chihara polynomials are the Brenke polynomials that are also orthogonal polynomials.

Brenke (1945) introduced sequences of Brenke polynomials P_n, which are special cases of generalized Appell polynomials with generating function of the form

${\displaystyle A(w)B(xw)=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }P_{n}(x)w^{n}.}$

Brenke observed that Hermite polynomials and Laguerre polynomials are examples of Brenke polynomials, and asked if there are any other sequences of orthogonal polynomials of this form. Geronimus (1947) found some further examples of orthogonal Brenke polynomials. Chihara (1968, 1971) completely classified all Brenke polynomials that form orthogonal sequences, which are now called Brenke–Chihara polynomials, and found their orthogonality relations.

References

• Brenke, W. C. (1945), "On generating functions of polynomial systems", The American Mathematical Monthly, 52: 297–301, doi:10.2307/2305289, ISSN 0002-9890, MR 0012720
• Chihara, Theodore Seio (1968), "Orthogonal polynomials with Brenke type generating functions", Duke Mathematical Journal, 35: 505–517, doi:10.1215/S0012-7094-68-03551-5, ISSN 0012-7094, MR 0227488
• Chihara, Theodore Seio (1971), "Orthogonality relations for a class of Brenke polynomials", Duke Mathematical Journal, 38: 599–603, doi:10.1215/S0012-7094-71-03875-0, ISSN 0012-7094, MR 0280757
• Geronimus, J. (1947), "The orthogonality of some systems of polynomials", Duke Mathematical Journal, 14: 503–510, doi:10.1215/S0012-7094-47-01441-5, ISSN 0012-7094, MR 0021151