arXiv subjects

Darij Grinberg

Publications and source records attributed to Darij Grinberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2026

A greedoid and a matroid inspired by Bhargava's $p$-orderings

Consider a finite set $E$. Assume that each $e \in E$ has a "weight" $w \left(e\right) \in \mathbb{R}$ assigned to it, and any two distinct $e, f \in E$ have a "distance" $d \left(e, f\right) = d \left(f, e\right) \in \mathbb{R}$ assigned to them, such that the distances satisfy the ultrametric triangle inequality $d(a,b)\leqslant \max \left\{d(a,c),d(b,c)\right\}$. We look for a subset of $E$ of given size with maximum perimeter (where the perimeter is defined by summing the weights of all elements and their pairwise distances). We show that any such subset can be found by a greedy algorithm (which starts with the empty set, and then adds new elements one by one, maximizing the perimeter at each step). We use this to define numerical invariants, and also to show that the maximum-perimeter subsets of all sizes form a strong greedoid, and the maximum-perimeter subsets of any given size are the bases of a matroid. This essentially generalizes the "$P$-orderings" constructed by Bhargava in order to define his generalized factorials, and is also similar to the strong greedoid of maximum diversity subsets in phylogenetic trees studied by Moulton, Semple and Steel. We further discuss some numerical invariants of $E, w, d$ stemming from this construction, as well as an analogue where maximum-perimeter subsets are replaced by maximum-perimeter tuples (i.e., elements can appear multiple times).

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

The representation theory of somewhere-to-below shuffles

The *somewhere-to-below shuffles* are the elements \[ t_{\ell} := \operatorname{cyc}_{\ell}+\operatorname{cyc}_{\ell,\ell+1}+\operatorname{cyc}_{\ell,\ell+1,\ell+2}+\cdots+\operatorname{cyc}_{\ell,\ell+1,\ldots,n} \] (for $\ell \in \{1,2,\dots,n\}$) in the group algebra $\mathbf{k}[S_n]$ of the $n$-th symmetric group $S_n$. Their linear combinations are called the *one-sided cycle shuffles*. We determine the eigenvalues of the action of any one-sided cycle shuffle on any Specht module $\mathcal{S}^λ$ of $S_n$.

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arXiv2026

A permutation based approach to the $q$-deformation of the Dynkin Operator

Introduced by Solomon, the descent algebra is a significant subalgebra of the group algebra of the symmetric group $\mathbf{k}S_n$ related to many important algebraic and combinatorial topics. It contains all the classical Lie idempotents of $\mathbf{k}S_n$, in particular the Dynkin operator, a fundamental tool for studying the free Lie algebra. We look at a $q$-deformation of the Dynkin operator and study its action over the descent algebra with classical combinatorial tools like Solomon's Mackey formula. This leads to elementary proofs that the operator is indeed an idempotent for $q=1$ as well as to interesting formulas and algebraic structures especially when $q$ is a root of unity.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

The enriched $q$-monomial basis of the quasisymmetric functions

We construct a new family $\left( η_α^{\left( q\right) }\right) _{α\in\operatorname*{Comp}}$ of quasisymmetric functions for each element $q$ of the base ring. We call them the "enriched $q$-monomial quasisymmetric functions". When $r:=q+1$ is invertible, this family is a basis of $\operatorname{QSym}$. It generalizes Hoffman's "essential quasi-symmetric functions" (obtained for $q=0$) and Hsiao's "monomial peak functions" (obtained for $q=1$), but also includes the monomial quasisymmetric functions as a limiting case. We describe these functions $η_α^{\left( q\right) }$ by several formulas, and compute their products, coproducts and antipodes. The product expansion is given by an exotic variant of the shuffle product which we call the "stufufuffle product" due to its ability to pick several consecutive entries from each composition. This "stufufuffle product" has previously appeared in recent work by Bouillot, Novelli and Thibon, generalizing the "block shuffle product" from the theory of multizeta values.

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arXiv2026

The V/L recursion for Macdonald's 7th Variation Schur polynomials

We generalize and prove the recursive relation \[ S_λ(V) = \sum_{L\subseteq V\text{ line}} S_λ(V \mathbin{/\mkern-5mu/} L) \] conjectured by I. G. Macdonald for his "7th variation" of the Schur functions. This variation is a family of polynomials over a finite field that mimic the (straight and skew) Schur polynomials using powers of the Frobenius.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

Detropicalization as a proof technique

Rational functions make sense over any commutative ring, as long as the denominators are invertible. When there is no subtraction involved, they even apply over semirings (rings without subtraction). It is particularly worthwhile to evaluate them over the *tropical semiring*, in which the roles of addition and multiplication are played by maxima and addition. Over this semiring, algebraic results often acquire combinatorial meaning. We give a few examples.

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arXiv2026

The pre-Pieri rules

Let $R$ be a commutative ring and $n\geq1$ and $p\geq0$ two integers. Let $h_{k,\ i}$ be an element of $R$ for all $k\in\mathbb Z$ and $i\in [n]$. For any $α\in\mathbb Z^n$, we define \[ t_α:=\det\begin{pmatrix} h_{α_1+1,\ 1} & h_{α_1+2,\ 1} & \cdots & h_{α_1+n,\ 1}\\ h_{α_2+1,\ 2} & h_{α_2+2,\ 2} & \cdots & h_{α_2+n,\ 2}\\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots\\ h_{α_n+1,\ n} & h_{α_n+2,\ n} & \cdots & h_{α_n+n,\ n} \end{pmatrix} \in R \] (where $α_i$ denotes the $i$-th entry of $α$). Then, we have the identity \[ \sum_{\substack{β\in\{0,1,2,\ldots\}^n ;\\ \left|β\right|=p}}t_{α+β} =\det \begin{pmatrix} h_{α_1+1,\ 1} & h_{α_1+2,\ 1} & \cdots & h_{α_1+(n-1),\ 1} & h_{α_1+(n+p),\ 1}\\ h_{α_2+1,\ 2} & h_{α_2+2,\ 2} & \cdots & h_{α_2+(n-1),\ 2} & h_{α_2+(n+p),\ 2}\\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots & \vdots\\ h_{α_n+1,\ n} & h_{α_n+2,\ n} & \cdots & h_{α_n+(n-1),\ n} & h_{α_n+(n+p),\ n} \end{pmatrix} \] (where $α+β$ denotes the entrywise sum of the tuples $α$ and $β$). Furthermore, if $p\leq n$, then \[ \sum_{\substack{β\in\left\{ 0,1\right\} ^n ;\\\left| β\right| =p}}t_{α+β}=\det \begin{pmatrix} h_{α_1+ξ_1 ,\ 1} & h_{α_1+ξ_2 ,\ 1} & \cdots & h_{α_1+ξ_n ,\ 1}\\ h_{α_2+ξ_1 ,\ 2} & h_{α_2+ξ_2 ,\ 2} & \cdots & h_{α_2+ξ_n ,\ 2}\\ \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots\\ h_{α_n+ξ_1 ,\ n} & h_{α_n+ξ_2 ,\ n} & \cdots & h_{α_n+ξ_n ,\ n} \end{pmatrix} , \] where $ξ=(1,2,\ldots,n-p,n-p+2,n-p+3,\ldots,n+1)$. We prove these two identities (in a slightly more general setting, where $R$ is not assumed commutative) and use them to derive some variants of the Pieri rule found in the literature.

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arXiv2026

A constructive proof of Orzech's theorem

Let $A$ be a commutative ring with unity, and $M$ a finitely generated $A$-module. In 1971, Morris Orzech showed that any surjective $A$-module homomorphism from a submodule of $M$ to $M$ must be an isomorphism. We give a constructive proof of this fact using the Cayley--Hamilton theorem.

math.AC↗

arXiv2026

Compositions of $n$-homomorphisms

We study $n$-homomorphisms in the sense of Khudaverdian--Voronov, but generalized to maps from arbitrary rings to arbitrary commutative rings. We show that the sum of an $n$-homomorphism and an $m$-homomorphism is an $\left( n+m\right) $-homomorphism, and that the composition of an $n$-homomorphism and an $m$-homomorphism is an $nm$-homomorphism. The proofs are entirely combinatorial.

math.RA↗

arXiv2026

A double Sylvester determinant

Given two $\left( n+1\right) \times\left( n+1\right)$-matrices $A$ and $B$ over a commutative ring, and some $k\in\left\{ 0,1,\ldots,n\right\}$, we consider the $\dbinom{n}{k}\times\dbinom{n}{k}$-matrix $W$ whose entries are $\left( k+1\right) \times\left( k+1\right)$-minors of $A$ multiplied by corresponding $\left( k+1\right) \times\left( k+1\right)$-minors of $B$. Here we require the minors to use the last row and the last column (which is why we obtain an $\dbinom{n}{k}\times\dbinom{n}{k}$-matrix, not an $\dbinom{n+1}{k+1}\times\dbinom{n+1}{k+1}$-matrix). We prove that the determinant $\det W$ is a multiple of $\det A$ if the $\left( n+1,n+1\right)$-th entry of $B$ is $0$. Furthermore, if the $\left( n+1,n+1\right)$-th entries of both $A$ and $B$ are $0$, then $\det W$ is a multiple of $\left( \det A\right) \left( \det B\right)$. This extends a previous result of Olver and the author ( arXiv:1802.02900 ).

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arXiv2026

The trace Cayley-Hamilton theorem

In this expository paper, various properties of matrix traces, determinants and adjugate matrices are proved, including the *trace Cayley-Hamilton theorem*, which says that \[ kc_k + \sum_{i=1}^k \operatorname{Tr} (A^i) c_{k-i} = 0 \qquad \text{for every } k\in\mathbb{N} \] whenever $A$ is an $n\times n$-matrix with characteristic polynomial $\det (tI_n - A) = \sum_{i=0}^n c_{n-i} t^i$ over a commutative ring $\mathbb{K}$. While the results are not new, some of the proofs are. The proofs illustrate some general techniques in linear algebra over commutative rings.

math.RA↗

arXiv2026

Noncommutative Abel-like identities

We generalize the Abel--Hurwitz identities to an almost entirely noncommutative setting. Namely, let $V$ be a finite set of size $n$, and let $\mathbb{L}$ be any noncommutative ring. For each $s\in V$, let $x_{s}\in\mathbb{L}$. Set $x\left( S\right) :=\sum_{s\in S}x_{s}$ for any $S\subseteq V$. Let $X$ and $Y$ be two elements of $\mathbb{L}$ such that $X+Y$ lies in the center of $\mathbb{L}$. Then, we show that% \begin{align*} & \sum_{S\subseteq V}\left( X+x\left( S\right) \right) ^{\left\vert S\right\vert }\left( Y-x\left( S\right) \right) ^{n-\left\vert S\right\vert }=\sum_{\substack{i_{1},i_{2},\ldots,i_{k}\in V\text{ distinct}% }}\left( X+Y\right) ^{n-k}x_{i_{1}}x_{i_{2}}\cdots x_{i_{k}};\\ & \sum_{S\subseteq V}X\left( X+x\left( S\right) \right) ^{\left\vert S\right\vert -1}\left( Y-x\left( S\right) \right) ^{n-\left\vert S\right\vert }=\left( X+Y\right) ^{n};\\ & \sum_{S\subseteq V}X\left( X+x\left( S\right) \right) ^{\left\vert S\right\vert -1}\left( Y-x\left( S\right) \right) ^{n-\left\vert S\right\vert -1}\left( Y-x\left( V\right) \right) =\left( X+Y-x\left( V\right) \right) \left( X+Y\right) ^{n-1}. \end{align*} (Negative powers are understood to be cancelled by other factors.)

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

Zeckendorf family identities generalized

Philip Matchett Wood and Doron Zeilberger have constructed identities for the Fibonacci numbers $f_n$ of the form $1f_n = f_n$ for all $n \geq 1$; $2f_n = f_{n-2} + f_{n+1}$ for all $n \geq 3$; $3f_n = f_{n-2} + f_{n+2}$ for all $n \geq 3$; $4f_n = f_{n-2} + f_{n} + f_{n+2}$ for all $n \geq 3$; ...; the general identity in this family has the form $kf_n = \sum_{s \in S_k} f_{n+s}$ (for all sufficiently high $n$), where $S_k$ is a finite set of integers that depends only on $k$ and contains no two consecutive integers. These identities are generalized, replacing the left-hand side $kf_n$ by arbitrary sums of the form $f_{n+a_1} + f_{n+a_2} + \cdots + f_{n+a_p}$ for arbitrary integers $a_1, a_2, \ldots, a_p$. The resulting theorem is proved using the connection between the Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

Iterative properties of birational rowmotion

We study a birational map associated to any finite poset P. This map is a far-reaching generalization (found by Einstein and Propp) of classical rowmotion, which is a certain permutation of the set of order ideals of P. Classical rowmotion has been studied by various authors (Fon-der-Flaass, Cameron, Brouwer, Schrijver, Striker, Williams and many more) under different guises (Striker-Williams promotion and Panyushev complementation are two examples of maps equivalent to it). In contrast, birational rowmotion is new and has yet to reveal several of its mysteries. In this paper, we prove that birational rowmotion has order p+q on the (p, q)-rectangle poset (i.e., on the product of a p-element chain with a q-element chain); we furthermore compute its orders on some triangle-shaped posets and on a class of posets which we call "skeletal" (this class includes all graded forests). In all cases mentioned, birational rowmotion turns out to have a finite (and explicitly computable) order, a property it does not exhibit for general finite posets (unlike classical rowmotion, which is a permutation of a finite set). Our proof in the case of the rectangle poset uses an idea introduced by Volkov (arXiv:hep-th/0606094) to prove the AA case of the Zamolodchikov periodicity conjecture; in fact, the finite order of birational rowmotion on many posets can be considered an analogue to Zamolodchikov periodicity. We comment on suspected, but so far enigmatic, connections to the theory of root posets. We also make a digression to study classical rowmotion on skeletal posets, since this case has seemingly been overlooked so far.

math.CO↗

arXiv2026

The left-to-right minima basis of the group algebra of the symmetric group (updated version)

We introduce a new basis of the group algebra of the symmetric group, built using the left-to-right minima sets of permutations. We show that on this basis, the descent algebra acts by triangular operators, thus making it an analogue of a cellular basis. The proof involves Dynkin elements (nested commutators) of the free algebra and their interactions with the $\mathbf B$-basis.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

The $q$-deformed random-to-random family in the Hecke algebra

We generalize Reiner--Saliola--Welker's well-known but mysterious family of *$k$-random-to-random shuffles* from Markov chains on symmetric groups to Markov chains on the Type-$A$ Iwahori--Hecke algebras. We prove that the family of operators pairwise commutes and has eigenvalues that are polynomials in $q$ with non-negative integer coefficients. Our work generalizes work of Reiner--Saliola--Welker and Lafrenière for the symmetric group, and simplifies all known proofs in this case.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

Rook sums in the symmetric group algebra

Let $\mathcal{A}$ be the group algebra $\mathbf{k}[S_n]$ of the $n$-th symmetric group $S_n$ over a commutative ring $\mathbf{k}$. For any two subsets $A$ and $B$ of $[n]$, we define the elements \[ \nabla_{B,A}:=\sum_{\substack{w\in S_n;\\w\left( A\right) =B}} w \qquad \text{and} \qquad \widetilde{\nabla}_{B,A}:=\sum_{\substack{w\in S_n;\\w\left( A\right) \subseteq B}}w \] of $\mathcal{A}$. We study these elements, showing in particular that their minimal polynomials factor into linear factors (with integer coefficients). We express the product $\nabla_{D,C}\nabla_{B,A}$ as a $\mathbb{Z}$-linear combination of $\nabla_{U,V}$'s. More generally, for any two set compositions (i.e., ordered set partitions) $\mathbf{A}$ and $\mathbf{B}$ of $\left\{ 1,2,\ldots,n\right\} $, we define $\nabla_{\mathbf{B},\mathbf{A}}\in\mathcal{A}$ to be the sum of all permutations $w\in S_n$ that send each block of $\mathbf{A}$ to the corresponding block of $\mathbf{B}$. This generalizes $\nabla_{B,A}$. The factorization property of minimal polynomials does not extend to the $\nabla_{\mathbf{B},\mathbf{A}}$, but we describe the ideal spanned by the $\nabla_{\mathbf{B},\mathbf{A}}$ and a further ideal complementary to it. These two ideals have a "mutually annihilative" relationship, are free as $\mathbf{k}$-modules, and appear as annihilators of tensor product $S_n$-representations; they are also closely related to Murphy's cellular bases, Specht modules, pattern-avoiding permutations and even some algebras appearing in quantum information theory.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

An introduction to the symmetric group algebra

This is an introduction to the group algebras of the symmetric groups, written for a quarter-long graduate course. After recalling the definition of group algebras (and monoid algebras) in general, as well as basic properties of permutations, we introduce several families of elements in the symmetric group algebras $\mathbf{k}[S_n]$ such as the Young--Jucys--Murphy elements, the (sign-)integrals and the conjugacy class sums. Then comes a chapter on group actions and representations in general, followed by the core of this text: a study of the representations of symmetric groups (i.e., of left $\mathbf{k}[S_n]$-modules), including the classical theory of Young tableaux and Young symmetrizers. We prove in detail the main facts including the characterization of irreducible representations (in characteristic $0$), the Garnir relations, the standard basis theorem, the description of duals of Specht modules, and the hook length formula, as well as a number of less known results. Finally, we describe several bases of $\mathbf{k}[S_n]$ that arise from the study of Specht modules, including the Murphy cellular bases. The methods used are elementary and computational. We aim to assume as little as possible of the base ring $\mathbf{k}$, and to use as little as possible from representation theory (nothing more advanced than Maschke and Jordan--Hölder). Over 100 exercises (without solutions) are scattered through the text.

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