On conformally invariant differential operators

Abstract

We construct new families of conformally invariant differential operators acting on densities. We introduce a simple, direct approach which shows that all such operators arise via this construction when the degree is bounded by the dimension. The method relies on a study of well-known transformation laws and on Weyl's theory regarding identities holding ``formally'' vs. ``by substitution''. We also illustrate how this new method can strengthen existing results in the parabolic invariant theory for conformal geometries.