Linear first order differential operators and their Hutchinson invariant sets

In this paper, we initiate the study of a new interrelation between linear ordinary differential operators and complex dynamics which we discuss in detail in the simplest case of operators of order 1. Namely, assuming that such an operator T has polynomial coefficients, we interpret it as a continuous family of Hutchinson operators acting on the space of positive powers of linear forms. Using this interpretation of T, we introduce its continuously Hutchinson invariant subsets of the complex plane and investigate a variety of their properties. In particular, we prove that for any T with non-constant coefficients, there exists a unique minimal under inclusion invariant set M_CH^T and find explicitly what operators T have the property that M_CH^T=C.