The (m,n)(m,n)-rational q,tq, t-Catalan polynomials for m=3m=3 and their q,tq,t-symmetry

We introduce a new statistic, skip, on rational $(3,n)$-Dyck paths and define a marked rank word for each path when $n$ is not a multiple of 3. If a triple of valid statistics (area,skip,dinv) are given, we have an algorithm to construct the marked rank word corresponding to the triple. By considering all valid triples we give an explicit formula for the $(m,n)$-rational $q,t$-Catalan polynomials when $m=3$. Then there is a natural bijection on the triples of statistics (area,skips,dinv) which exchanges the statistics area and dinv while fixing the skip. Thus we prove the $q,t$-symmetry of $(m,n)$-rational $q, t$-Catalan polynomials for $m=3$.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Counting Dyck paths by area and rank

The set of Dyck paths of length $2n$ inherits a lattice structure from a bijection with the set of noncrossing partitions with the usual partial order. In this paper, we study the joint distribution of two statistics for Dyck paths: \emph{area} (the area under the path) and \emph{rank} (the rank in the lattice). While area for Dyck paths has been studied, pairing it with this rank function seems new, and we get an interesting $(q,t)$-refinement of the Catalan numbers. We present two decompositions of the corresponding generating function: one refines an identity of Carlitz and Riordan; the other refines the notion of $\gamma$-nonnegativity, and is based on a decomposition of the lattice of noncrossing partitions due to Simion and Ullman. Further, Biane's correspondence and a result of Stump allow us to conclude that the joint distribution of area and rank for Dyck paths equals the joint distribution of length and reflection length for the permutations lying below the $n$-cycle $(12...n)$ in the absolute order on the symmetric group.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures. Connections with work of C. Stump (arXiv:0808.2822v2) eliminated the need for 5 pages of proof in the first draf