The Hopf algebroid structure of differentially recursive sequences

Abstract

A differentially recursive sequence over a differential field is a sequence of elements satisfying a homogeneous differential equation with non-constant coefficients (namely, Taylor expansions of elements of the field) in the differential algebra of Hurwitz series. The main aim of this paper is to explore the space of all differentially recursive sequences over a given field with a non-zero differential. We show that these sequences form a two-sided vector space that admits, in a canonical way, a structure of Hopf algebroid over the subfield of constant elements. We prove that it is the direct limit, as a left comodule, of all spaces of formal solutions of linear differential equations and that it satisfies, as Hopf algebroid, an additional universal property. When the differential on the base field is zero, we recover the Hopf algebra structure of linearly recursive sequences.