 Solution

For the probability generating function $G(t)=\mathbb{E}[t^X]$, differentiation givesThe second derivative is a factorial moment, not the raw second moment.

In the Galton-Watson process, condition on $X_n=m$. The next generation is a sum of $m$ independent offspring counts, and so its conditional generating function is $G(t{)}^m$. Averaging over $X_n$ givesThe conditional mean is $m\mu$ and the conditional variance is $m{\sigma }^2$. Thus iterated expectation gives $\mathbb{E}[X_n]={\mu }^n$ from one ancestor, and the law of total variance gives $v_{n+1}={\mu }^2{v}_n+{\sigma }^2{\mu }^n$, $v_0=0$. Iterating yields the branching-process generation momentsFor the critical case $\mu =1$, the correct limiting value is $v_n=n{\sigma }^2$. If $\mu =0$, nonnegative offspring are zero almost surely, so every later generation has zero mean and variance; handle this directly rather than use an ambiguous zero power. At generation zero the mean is one and variance zero.

The branching-process extinction criterion states that extinction probability is the smallest fixed point of $G$ in $[0,1]$: probabilities of extinction by successive generations are the iterates of $G$ from zero, increasing to that fixed point. Here the equation is $4q^3-7q+3=0$, factoring as $(q-1)(2q-1)(2q+3)=0$. The two admissible roots are $1/2$ and one, so