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Stephanie van Willigenburg

Publications and source records attributed to Stephanie van Willigenburg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2022

Slide multiplicity free key polynomials

Schubert polynomials are refined by the key polynomials of Lascoux-Schützenberger, which in turn are refined by the fundamental slide polynomials of Assaf-Searles. In this paper we determine which fundamental slide polynomial refinements of key polynomials, indexed by strong compositions, are multiplicity free. We also give a recursive algorithm to determine all terms in the fundamental slide polynomial refinement of a key polynomial indexed by a strong composition. From here, we apply our results to begin to classify which fundamental slide polynomial refinements, indexed by weak compositions, are multiplicity free. We completely resolve the cases when the weak composition has at most two nonzero parts or the sum has at most two nonzero terms.

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arXiv2021

Deletion-contraction for a unified Laplacian and applications

We define a graph Laplacian with vertex weights in addition to the more classical edge weights, which unifies the combinatorial Laplacian and the normalised Laplacian. Moreover, we give a combinatorial interpretation for the coefficients of the weighted Laplacian characteristic polynomial in terms of weighted spanning forests and use this to prove a deletion-contraction relation. We prove various interlacing theorems relating to deletion and contraction, as well as to rectangular tilings, drawing on the work of Brooks, Smith, Stone and Tutte on square tilings. Additionally, we show that the weighted Laplacian also satisfies a vertex analogue of deletion-contraction. We give applications of weighted Laplacian eigenvalues to sparse cuts, independent sets and graph colouring, and establish new cases of a conjecture of Stanley on distinguishing nonisomorphic trees.

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arXiv2021

Extended chromatic symmetric functions and equality of ribbon Schur functions

We prove a general inclusion-exclusion relation for the extended chromatic symmetric function of a weighted graph, which specializes to (extended) $k$-deletion, and we give two methods to obtain numerous new bases from weighted graphs for the algebra of symmetric functions. Moreover, we classify when two weighted paths have equal extended chromatic symmetric functions by proving this is equivalent to the classification of equal ribbon Schur functions. This latter classification is dependent on the operation composition of compositions, which we generalize to composition of graphs. We then apply our generalization to obtain infinitely many families of weighted graphs whose members have equal extended chromatic symmetric functions.

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arXiv2020

Resolving Stanley's $e$-positivity of claw-contractible-free graphs

In Stanley's seminal 1995 paper on the chromatic symmetric function, he stated that there was no known graph that was not contractible to the claw and whose chromatic symmetric function was not $e$-positive, namely, not a positive linear combination of elementary symmetric functions. We resolve this by giving infinite families of graphs that are not contractible to the claw and whose chromatic symmetric functions are not $e$-positive. Moreover, one such family is additionally claw-free, thus establishing that the $e$-positivity of chromatic symmetric functions is in general not dependent on the existence of an induced claw or of a contraction to a claw.

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arXiv2020

Chromatic Posets

In 1995 Stanley introduced the chromatic symmetric function $X_G$ of a graph $G$, whose $e$-positivity and Schur-positivity has been of large interest. In this paper we study the relative $e$-positivity and Schur-positivity between connected graphs on $n$ vertices. We define and investigate two families of posets on distinct chromatic symmetric functions. The relations depend on the $e$-positivity or Schur-positivity of a weighed subtraction between $X_G$ and $X_H$. We find a biconditional condition between $e$-positivity or Schur-positivity and the relation to the complete graph. This gives a new paradigm for $e$-positivity and for Schur-positivity. We show many other interesting properties of these posets including that trees form an independent set and are maximal elements. Additionally, we find that stars are independent elements, the independence number increases as we increase in the poset and that the family of lollipop graphs form a chain.

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arXiv2019

Schur and $e$-positivity of trees and cut vertices

We prove that the chromatic symmetric function of any $n$-vertex tree containing a vertex of degree $d\geq \log _2n +1$ is not $e$-positive, that is, not a positive linear combination of elementary symmetric functions. Generalizing this, we also prove that the chromatic symmetric function of any $n$-vertex connected graph containing a cut vertex whose deletion disconnects the graph into $d\geq\log _2n +1$ connected components is not $e$-positive. Furthermore we prove that any $n$-vertex bipartite graph, including all trees, containing a vertex of degree greater than $\lceil \frac{n}{2}\rceil$ is not Schur-positive, namely not a positive linear combination of Schur functions. In complete generality, we prove that if an $n$-vertex connected graph has no perfect matching (if $n$ is even) or no almost perfect matching (if $n$ is odd), then it is not $e$-positive. We hence deduce that many graphs containing the claw are not $e$-positive.

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arXiv2019

Chromatic symmetric functions in noncommuting variables revisited

In 1995 Stanley introduced a generalization of the chromatic polynomial of a graph $G$, called the chromatic symmetric function, $X_G$, which was generalized to noncommuting variables, $Y_G$, by Gebhard-Sagan in 2001. Recently there has been a renaissance in the study of $X_G$, in particular in classifying when $X_G$ is a positive linear combination of elementary symmetric or Schur functions. We extend this study from $X_G$ to $Y_G$, including establishing the multiplicativity of $Y_G$, and showing $Y_G$ satisfies the $k$-deletion property. Moreover, we completely classify when $Y_G$ is a positive linear combination of elementary symmetric functions in noncommuting variables, and similarly for Schur functions in noncommuting variables, in the sense of Bergeron-Hohlweg-Rosas-Zabrocki. We further establish the natural multiplicative generalization of the fundamental theorem of symmetric functions, now in noncommuting variables, and obtain numerous new bases for this algebra whose generators are chromatic symmetric functions in noncommuting variables. Finally, we show that of all known symmetric functions in noncommuting variables, only all elementary and specified Schur ones can be realized as $Y_G$ for some $G$.

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arXiv2019

Dual graphs from noncommutative and quasisymmetric Schur functions

By establishing relations between operators on compositions, we show that the posets of compositions arising from the right and left Pieri rules for noncommutative Schur functions can each be endowed with both the structure of dual graded graphs and dual filtered graphs when paired with the poset of compositions arising from the Pieri rules for quasisymmetric Schur functions and its deformation.

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arXiv2019

The probability of positivity in symmetric and quasisymmetric functions

Given an element in a finite-dimensional real vector space, $V$, that is a nonnegative linear combination of basis vectors for some basis $B$, we compute the probability that it is furthermore a nonnegative linear combination of basis vectors for a second basis, $A$. We then apply this general result to combinatorially compute the probability that a symmetric function is Schur-positive (recovering the recent result of Bergeron--Patrias--Reiner), $e$-positive or $h$-positive. Similarly we compute the probability that a quasisymmetric function is quasisymmetric Schur-positive or fundamental-positive. In every case we conclude that the probability tends to zero as the degree of a function tends to infinity.

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arXiv2019

The shuffle conjecture

Walks in the plane taking unit-length steps north and east from $(0,0)$ to $(n,n)$ never dropping below $y=x$ and parking cars subject to preferences are two intriguing ingredients in a formula conjectured in 2005, now famously known as the shuffle conjecture. Here we describe the combinatorial tools needed to state the conjecture. We also give key parts and people in its history, including its eventual algebraic solution by Carlsson and Mellit, which was published in the Journal of the American Mathematical Society in 2018. Finally, we conclude with some remaining open problems.

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arXiv2018

Permuted composition tableaux, 0-Hecke algebra and labeled binary trees

We introduce a generalization of semistandard composition tableaux called permuted composition tableaux. These tableaux are intimately related to permuted basement semistandard augmented fillings studied by Haglund, Mason and Remmel. Our primary motivation for studying permuted composition tableaux is to enumerate all possible ordered pairs of permutations $(σ_1,σ_2)$ that can be obtained by standardizing the entries in two adjacent columns of an arbitrary composition tableau. We refer to such pairs as compatible pairs. To study compatible pairs in depth, we define a $0$-Hecke action on permuted composition tableaux. This action naturally defines an equivalence relation on these tableaux. Certain distinguished representatives of the resulting equivalence classes in the special case of two-columned tableaux are in bijection with compatible pairs. We provide a bijection between two-columned tableaux and labeled binary trees. This bijection maps a quadruple of descent statistics for 2-columned tableaux to left and right ascent-descent statistics on labeled binary trees introduced by Gessel, and we use it to prove that the number of compatible pairs is $(n+1)^{n-1}$.

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arXiv2018

Quasisymmetric and noncommutative skew Pieri rules

In this note we derive skew Pieri rules in the spirit of Assaf-McNamara for skew quasisymmetric Schur functions using the Hopf algebraic techniques of Lam-Lauve-Sottile, and recover the original rules of Assaf-McNamara as a special case. We then apply these techniques a second time to obtain skew Pieri rules for skew noncommutative Schur functions.

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arXiv2018

Necessary conditions for Schur-maximality

McNamara and Pylyavskyy conjectured precisely which connected skew shapes are maximal in the Schur-positivity order, which says that $B\leq _s A$ if $s_A-s_B$ is Schur-positive. Towards this, McNamara and van Willigenburg proved that it suffices to study equitable ribbons, namely ribbons whose row lengths are all of length $a$ or $(a+1)$ for $a\geq 2$. In this paper we confirm the conjecture of McNamara and Pylyavskyy in all cases where the comparable equitable ribbons form a chain. We also confirm a conjecture of McNamara and van Willigenburg regarding which equitable ribbons in general are minimal. Additionally, we establish two sufficient conditions for the difference of two ribbons to be Schur-positive, which manifest as diagrammatic operations on ribbons. We also deduce two necessary conditions for the difference of two equitable ribbons to be Schur-positive that rely on rows of length $a$ being at the end, or on rows of length $(a+1)$ being evenly distributed.

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arXiv2018

Lollipop and lariat symmetric functions

We compute an explicit $e$-positive formula for the chromatic symmetric function of a lollipop graph, $L_{m,n}$. From here we deduce that there exist countably infinite distinct $e$-positive, and hence Schur-positive, bases of the algebra of symmetric functions whose generators are chromatic symmetric functions. Finally, we resolve 6 conjectures on the chromatic symmetric function of a lariat graph, $L_{n+3}$.

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arXiv2017

Chromatic classical symmetric functions

In this note we classify when a skew Schur function is a positive linear combination of power sum symmetric functions. We then use this to determine precisely when any scalar multiple of a skew Schur function is the chromatic symmetric function of some graph. From here we are able to prove that of the classical bases for symmetric functions only certain scalar multiples of the elementary symmetric functions can be realised as the chromatic symmetric function of some graph, namely a particular union of complete graphs.

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arXiv2016

Chromatic bases for symmetric functions

In this note we obtain numerous new bases for the algebra of symmetric functions whose generators are chromatic symmetric functions. More precisely, if $\{ G_ k \}_{k\geq 1}$ is a set of connected graphs such that $G_k$ has $k$ vertices for each $k$, then the set of all chromatic symmetric functions $\{ X_{G_ k} \}_{k\geq 1}$ generates the algebra of symmetric functions. We also obtain explicit expressions for the generators arising from complete graphs, star graphs, path graphs and cycle graphs.

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arXiv2013

Noncommutative irreducible characters of the symmetric group and noncommutative Schur functions

In the Hopf algebra of symmetric functions, Sym, the basis of Schur functions is distinguished since every Schur function is isomorphic to an irreducible character of a symmetric group under the Frobenius characteristic map. In this note we show that in the Hopf algebra of noncommutative symmetric functions, Nsym, of which Sym is a quotient, the recently discovered basis of noncommutative Schur functions exhibits that every noncommutative Schur function is isomorphic to a noncommutative irreducible character of a symmetric group when working in noncommutative character theory. We simultaneously show that a second basis of Nsym consisting of Young noncommutative Schur functions also satisfies that every element is isomorphic to a noncommutative irreducible character of a symmetric group.

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