On the general family of third-order shape-invariant Hamiltonians related to generalized Hermite polynomials

Abstract

This work reports and classifies the most general construction of rational quantum potentials in terms of the generalized Hermite polynomials. This is achieved by exploiting the intrinsic relation between third-order shape-invariant Hamiltonians and the fourth Painlev\'e equation, such that the generalized Hermite polynomials emerge from the $-1/x$ and $-2x$ hierarchies of rational solutions. Such a relation unequivocally establishes the discrete spectrum structure, which, in general, is composed as the union of a finite- and infinite-dimensional sequence of equidistant eigenvalues separated by a gap. The two indices of the generalized Hermite polynomials determine the dimension of the finite sequence and the gap. Likewise, the complete set of eigensolutions can be decomposed into two disjoint subsets. In this form, the eigensolutions within each set are written as the product of a weight function defined on the real line times a polynomial. These polynomials fulfill a second-order differential equation and are alternatively determined from a three-term recurrence relation (second-order difference equation), the initial conditions of which are also fixed in terms of generalized Hermite polynomials.