arXiv subjects

Sergi Elizalde

Publications and source records attributed to Sergi Elizalde.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Partial rank symmetry of distributive lattices for fences

Associated with any composition beta=(a,b,...) is a corresponding fence poset F(beta) whose covering relations are x_1 < x_2 < ... < x_{a+1} > x_{a+2} > ... > x_{a+b+1} < x_{a+b+2} < ... The distributive lattice L(beta) of all lower order ideals of F(beta) is important in the theory of cluster algebras. In addition, its rank generating function r(q;beta) is used to define q-analogues of rational numbers. Oguz and Ravichandran recently showed that its coefficients satisfy an interlacing condition, proving a conjecture of McConville, Smyth and Sagan, which in turn implies a previous conjecture of Morier-Genoud and Ovsienko that r(q;beta) is unimodal. We show that, when beta has an odd number of parts, then the polynomial is also partially symmetric: the number of ideals of F(beta) of size k equals the number of filters of size k, when k is below a certain value. Our proof is completely bijective. Oguz and Ravichandran also introduced a circular version of fences and proved, using algebraic techniques, that the distributive lattice for such a poset is rank symmetric. We give a bijective proof of this result as well. We end with some questions and conjectures raised by this work.

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arXiv2021

Counting lattice paths by crossings and major index I: the corner-flipping bijections

We solve two problems regarding the enumeration of lattice paths in $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with steps $(1,1)$ and $(1,-1)$ with respect to the major index, defined as the sum of the positions of the valleys, and to the number of certain crossings. The first problem considers crossings of a single path with a fixed horizontal line. The second one counts pairs of paths with respect to the number of times they cross each other. Our proofs introduce lattice path bijections with convenient visual descriptions, and the answers are given by remarkably simple formulas involving $q$-binomial coefficients.

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arXiv2021

Counting lattice paths by crossings and major index II: tracking descents via two-rowed arrays

We present refined enumeration formulas for lattice paths in $\mathbb{Z}^2$ with two kinds of steps, by keeping track of the number of descents (i.e., turns in a given direction), the major index (i.e., the sum of the positions of the descents), and the number of crossings. One formula considers crossings between a path and a fixed line; the other considers crossings between two paths. Building on the first paper of the series, which used lattice path bijections to give the enumeration with respect to major index and crossings, we obtain a refinement that keeps track of the number of descents. The proof is based on new bijections which rely on certain two-rowed arrays that were introduced by Krattenthaler.

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arXiv2021

The degree of symmetry of lattice paths

The degree of symmetry of a combinatorial object, such as a lattice path, is a measure of how symmetric the object is. It typically ranges from zero, if the object is completely asymmetric, to its size, if it is completely symmetric. We study the behavior of this statistic on Dyck paths and grand Dyck paths, with symmetry described by reflection along a vertical line through their midpoint; partitions, with symmetry given by conjugation; and certain compositions interpreted as bargraphs. We find expressions for the generating functions for these objects with respect to their degree of symmetry, and their semilength or semiperimeter, deducing in most cases that, asymptotically, the degree of symmetry has a Rayleigh or half-normal limiting distribution. The resulting generating functions are often algebraic, with the notable exception of Dyck paths, for which we conjecture that it is D-finite (but not algebraic), based on a functional equation that we obtain using bijections to walks in the plane.

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arXiv2021

The degree of asymmetry of sequences

We explore the notion of degree of asymmetry for integer sequences and related combinatorial objects. The degree of asymmetry is a new combinatorial statistic that measures how far an object is from being symmetric. We define this notion for compositions, words, matchings, binary trees and permutations, we find generating functions enumerating these objects with respect to their degree of asymmetry, and we describe the limiting distribution of this statistic in each case.

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arXiv2021

Consecutive patterns in circular permutations

In their study of cyclic pattern containment, Domagalski et al. conjecture differential equations for the generating functions of circular permutations avoiding consecutive patterns of length 3. In this note, we prove and significantly generalize these conjectures. We show that, for every consecutive pattern $σ$ beginning with 1, the bivariate generating function counting occurrences of $σ$ in circular permutations can be obtained from the generating function counting occurrences of $σ$ in (linear) permutations. This includes all the patterns for which the latter generating function is known.

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arXiv2020

Symmetric peaks and symmetric valleys in Dyck paths

The notion of symmetric and asymmetric peaks in Dyck paths was introduced by Flórez and Rodr\'ıguez, who counted the total number of such peaks over all Dyck paths of a given length. In this paper we generalize their results by giving multivariate generating functions that keep track of the number of symmetric peaks and the number of asymmetric peaks, as well as the widths of these peaks. We recover a formula of Denise and Simion as a special case of our results. We also consider the analogous but more intricate notion of symmetric valleys. We find a continued fraction expression for the generating function of Dyck paths with respect to the number of symmetric valleys and the sum of their widths, which provides an unexpected connection between symmetric valleys and statistics on ordered rooted trees. Finally, we enumerate Dyck paths whose peak or valley heights satisfy certain monotonicity and unimodality conditions, using a common framework to recover some known results, and relating our questions to the enumeration of certain classes of column-convex polyominoes.

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arXiv2020

Bijections for restricted inversion sequences and permutations with fixed points

We provide a bijective proof of a formula of Auli and the author expressing the number of inversion sequences with no three consecutive equal entries in terms of the number of non-derangements, that is, permutations with fixed points. Additionally, we give bijective proofs of two simple recurrences for the number of non-derangements.

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arXiv2020

A simple bijective proof of a familiar derangement recurrence

It is well known that the derangement numbers $d_n$, which count permutations of length $n$ with no fixed points, satisfy the recurrence $d_n=nd_{n-1}+(-1)^n$ for $n\ge1$. Combinatorial proofs of this formula have been given by Remmel, Wilf, Désarménien and Benjamin--Ornstein. Here we present yet another, arguably simpler, bijective proof.

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arXiv2020

Wilf equivalences between vincular patterns in inversion sequences

Inversion sequences are finite sequences of non-negative integers, where the value of each entry is bounded from above by its position. Patterns in inversion sequences have been studied by Corteel-Martinez-Savage-Weselcouch and Mansour-Shattuck in the classical case, where patterns can occur in any positions, and by Auli-Elizalde in the consecutive case, where only adjacent entries can form an occurrence of a pattern. These papers classify classical and consecutive patterns of length 3 into Wilf equivalence classes according to the number of inversion sequences avoiding them. In this paper we consider vincular patterns in inversion sequences, which, in analogy to Babson-Steingr\'ımsson patterns in permutations, require only certain entries of an occurrence to be adjacent, and thus generalize both classical and consecutive patterns. Solving a conjecture of Lin and Yan, we provide a complete classification of vincular patterns of length 3 in inversion sequences into Wilf equivalence classes, and into more restrictive classes that consider the number of occurrences of the pattern and the positions of such occurrences. We find the first known instance of patterns in inversion sequences where these two more restrictive classes do not coincide.

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arXiv2020

Descents on quasi-Stirling permutations

Stirling permutations were introduced by Gessel and Stanley, who used their enumeration by the number of descents to give a combinatorial interpretation of certain polynomials related to Stirling numbers. Quasi-Stirling permutations, which can be viewed as labeled noncrossing matchings, were introduced by Archer et al. as a natural extension of Stirling permutations. Janson's correspondence between Stirling permutations and labeled increasing plane trees extends to a bijection between quasi-Stirling permutations and the same set of trees without the increasing restriction. Archer et al. posed the problem of enumerating quasi-Stirling permutations by the number of descents, and conjectured that there are $(n+1)^{n-1}$ such permutations of size $n$ having the maximum number of descents. In this paper we prove their conjecture, and we give the generating function for quasi-Stirling permutations by the number of descents, expressed as a compositional inverse of the generating function of Eulerian polynomials. We also find the analogue for quasi-Stirling permutations of the main result from Gessel and Stanley's paper. We prove that the distribution of descents on these permutations is asymptotically normal, and that the roots of the corresponding quasi-Stirling polynomials are all real, in analogy to Bóna's results for Stirling permutations. Finally, we generalize our results to a one-parameter family of permutations that extends $k$-Stirling permutations, and we refine them by also keeping track of the number of ascents and the number of plateaus.

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arXiv2019

Consecutive Patterns in Inversion Sequences

An inversion sequence of length $n$ is an integer sequence $e=e_{1}e_{2}\dots e_{n}$ such that $0\leq e_{i}<i$ for each $i$. Corteel--Martinez--Savage--Weselcouch and Mansour--Shattuck began the study of patterns in inversion sequences, focusing on the enumeration of those that avoid classical patterns of length 3. We initiate an analogous systematic study of consecutive patterns in inversion sequences, namely patterns whose entries are required to occur in adjacent positions. We enumerate inversion sequences that avoid consecutive patterns of length 3, and generalize some results to patterns of arbitrary length. Additionally, we study the notion of Wilf equivalence of consecutive patterns in inversion sequences, as well as generalizations of this notion analogous to those studied for permutation patterns. We classify patterns of length up to 4 according to the corresponding Wilf equivalence relations.

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arXiv2019

On cyclic Schur-positive sets of permutation

We introduce a notion of {\em cyclic Schur-positivity} for sets of permutations, which naturally extends the classical notion of Schur-positivity, and it involves the existence of a bijection from permutations to standard Young tableaux that preserves the cyclic descent set. Cyclic Schur-positive sets of permutations are always Schur-positive, but the converse does not hold, as exemplified by inverse descent classes, Knuth classes and conjugacy classes. In this paper we show that certain classes of permutations invariant under either horizontal or vertical rotation are cyclic Schur-positive. The proof unveils a new equidistribution phenomenon of descent sets on permutations, provides affirmative solutions to conjectures from [9] and [2], and yields new examples of Schur-positive sets.

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arXiv2019

Exact and asymptotic enumeration of cyclic permutations according to descent set

Using a result of Gessel and Reutenauer, we find a simple formula for the number of cyclic permutations with a given descent set, by expressing it in terms of ordinary descent numbers (i.e., those counting all permutations with a given descent set). We then use this formula to show that, for almost all sets $I \subseteq [n-1]$, the fraction of size-$n$ permutations with descent set $I$ which are $n$-cycles is asymptotically $1/n$. As a special case, we recover a result of Stanley for alternating cycles. We also use our formula to count the cycles that do not have two consecutive descents.

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arXiv2019

Consecutive patterns in inversion sequences II: avoiding patterns of relations

Inversion sequences are integer sequences $e=e_{1}e_{2}\dots e_{n}$ such that $0\leq e_{i} ,=,\neq\}$, we study inversion sequences $e$ with no subindex $i$ such that $e_{i}R_{1}e_{i+1}R_{2}e_{i+2}$. By enumerating such inversion sequences according to their length, we obtain well-known quantities such as Catalan numbers, Fibonacci numbers and central polynomial numbers, relating inversion sequences to other combinatorial structures. We also classify consecutive patterns of relations into Wilf equivalence classes, according to the number of inversion sequences avoiding them, and into more restrictive classes that consider the positions of the occurrences of the patterns. As a byproduct of our techniques, we obtain a simple bijective proof of a result of Baxter--Shattuck and Kasraoui about Wilf-equivalence of vincular patterns, and we prove a conjecture of Martinez and Savage, as well as related enumeration formulas for inversion sequences satisfying certain unimodality conditions.

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arXiv2018

Characterizations and Enumerations of Patterns of Signed Shifts

Signed shifts are generalizations of the shift map in which, interpreted as a map from the unit interval to itself sending x to the fractional part of Nx, some slopes are allowed to be negative. Permutations realized by the relative order of the elements in the orbits of these maps have been studied recently by Amigo, Archer and Elizalde. In this paper, we give a complete characterization of the permutations (also called patterns) realized by signed shifts. In the case of the negative shift, which is the signed shift having only negative slopes, we use the characterization to give an exact enumeration of these patterns. Finally, we improve the best known bounds for the number of patterns realized by the tent map, and calculate the topological entropy of signed shifts using these combinatorial methods.

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arXiv2018

Continued fractions for permutation statistics

We explore a bijection between permutations and colored Motzkin paths that has been used in different forms by Foata and Zeilberger, Biane, and Corteel. By giving a visual representation of this bijection in terms of so-called cycle diagrams, we find simple translations of some statistics on permutations (and subsets of permutations) into statistics on colored Motzkin paths, which are amenable to the use of continued fractions. We obtain new enumeration formulas for subsets of permutations with respect to fixed points, excedances, double excedances, cycles, and inversions. In particular, we prove that cyclic permutations whose excedances are increasing are counted by the Bell numbers.

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arXiv2018

Cyclic descents for near-hook and two-row shapes

A notion of cyclic descents on standard Young tableaux (SYT) of rectangular shape was introduced by Rhoades, and extended to certain skew shapes by the last two authors. The cyclic descent set restricts to the usual descent set when the largest value is ignored, and has the property that the number of SYT of a given shape with a given cyclic descent set $D$ is invariant under cyclic shifts of the entries of $D$. Following these results, the existence of cyclic descent sets for standard Young tableaux of any skew shape other than a ribbon was conjectured by the authors, and recently proved by Adin, Reiner and Roichman. Unfortunately, the proof does not provide a natural definition of the cyclic descent set for a specific tableau. In this paper we explicitly describe cyclic descent sets and resulting generating functions for SYT of (possibly skew) shapes which either have exactly two rows or are near-hooks, i.e., are one cell away from a hook. Our definition provides a constructive combinatorial proof of the existence of cyclic descent sets for these shapes, and coincides with that of Rhoades for two-row rectangular shapes. We also show that cyclic descent sets for near-hook shaped tableaux are unique.

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