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Definition

In the Sturm-Liouville Boundary Value Problem, there is a special case called Hermite's Differential Equation which arises in the treatment of the harmonic oscillator in quantum mechanics. Hermite's Differential Equation is defined as:

where is a real number. For is a non-negative integer, i.e., , the solutions of Hermite's Differential Equation are often referred to as Hermite Polynomials .

Important Properties

Rodrigues' Formula: The Hermite Polynomials can be expressed by Rodrigues' formula

where

Generating Function: The generating function of Hermite Polynomial is

Orthogonality: Hermite Polynomials , , form a complete orthogonal set on the interval with respect to the weighting function . It can be shown that:

By using this orthogonality, a piecewise continuous function can be expressed in terms of Hermite Polynomials:

where

This orthogonal series expansion is also known as Fourier-Hermite Series expansion or Generalized Fourier Series expansion.

Even/Odd Functions: Whether a Hermite Polynomial is an even or odd function depends on its degree n.

Based on ,

• Hn(x) is an even function, when n is even.

• Hn(x) is an odd function, when n is odd.

Recurrence Relation: A Hermite Polynomial at one point can be expressed by neighboring Hermite Polynomials at the same point.

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Special Results

Hermite Polynomial Related Calculator