The positive maximum principle on Lie groups

We extend a classical theorem of Courrège to Lie groups in a global setting, thus characterising all linear operators on the space of smooth functions of compact support that satisfy the positive maximum principle. We show that these are Lévy type operators (with variable characteristics), and pseudo‐differential operators when the group is compact. If the characteristics are constant, then the operator is the generator of the contraction semigroup associated to a convolution semigroup of sub‐probability measures.