The Hermite equation of order \(\alpha\) is \(y^{\prime \prime}-2 x y^{\prime}+2
\alpha y=0\).
(a) Derive the two power series solutions
$$
y_{1}=1+\sum_{m=1}^{\infty}(-1)^{m} \frac{2^{m} \alpha(\alpha-2)
\cdots(\alpha-2 m+2)}{(2 m) !} x^{2 m}
$$
and
\(y_{2}=x\)
$$
+\sum_{m=1}^{\infty}(-1)^{m} \frac{2^{m}(\alpha-1)(\alpha-3) \cdots(\alpha-2
m+1)}{(2 m+1) !} x^{2 m+1}.
$$
Show that \(y_{1}\) is a polynomial if \(\alpha\) is an even integer, whereas
\(y_{2}\) is a polynomial if \(\alpha\) is an odd integer. (b) The Hermite
polynomial of degree \(n\) is denoted by \(H_{n}(x) .\) It is the \(n\) th-degree
polynomial solution of Hermite's equation, multiplied by a suitable constant
so that the coefficient of \(x^{n}\) is \(2^{n}\). Show that the first six Hermite
polynomials are
$$
\begin{array}{llrl}
H_{0}(x) & \equiv 1, & & H_{1}(x)=2 x, \\
H_{2}(x) & =4 x^{2}-2, & & H_{3}(x)=8 x^{3}-12 x, \\
H_{4}(x) & =16 x^{4}-48 x^{2}+12, & & \\
H_{5}(x) & =32 x^{5}-160 x^{3}+120 x & &
\end{array}
$$
A general formula for the Hermite polynomials is
$$
H_{n}(x)=(-1)^{n} e^{x^{2}} \frac{d^{n}}{d x^{n}}\left(e^{-x^{2}}\right).
$$
Verify that this formula does in fact give an \(n\) th-degree polynomial. It is
interesting to use a computer algebra system to investigate the conjecture
that (for each \(n)\) the zeros of the Hermite polynomials \(H_{n}\) and \(H_{n+1}\)
are "interlaced" - that is, the \(n\) zeros of \(H_{n}\) lie in the \(n\) bounded
open intervals whose endpoints are successive pairs of zeros of \(H_{n+1}\).