Subword counting and the incidence algebra

The Pascal matrix, $P$, is an upper diagonal matrix whose entries are the binomial coefficients. In 1993 Call and Velleman demonstrated that it satisfies the beautiful relation $P=\exp(H)$ in which $H$ has the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. on its superdiagonal and zeros elsewhere. We generalize this identity to the incidence algebras $I(A^*)$ and $I(\mathcal{S})$ of functions on words and permutations, respectively. In $I(A^*)$ the entries of $P$ and $H$ count subwords; in $I(\mathcal{S})$ they count permutation patterns. Inspired by vincular permutation patterns we define what it means for a subword to be restricted by an auxiliary index set $R$; this definition subsumes both factors and (scattered) subwords. We derive a theorem for words corresponding to the Reciprocity Theorem for patterns in permutations: Up to sign, the coefficients in the Mahler expansion of a function counting subwords restricted by the set $R$ is given by a function counting subwords restricted by the complementary set $R^c$

Towards m-Cambrian Lattices

For positive integers $m$ and $k$, we introduce a family of lattices $\mathcal{C}_{k}^{(m)}$ associated to the Cambrian lattice $\mathcal{C}_{k}$ of the dihedral group $I_{2}(k)$. We show that $\mathcal{C}_{k}^{(m)}$ satisfies some basic properties of a Fuss-Catalan generalization of $\mathcal{C}_{k}$, namely that $\mathcal{C}_{k}^{(1)}=\mathcal{C}_{k}$ and \bigl\lvert\mathcal{C}_{k}^{(m)}\bigr\rvert=\mbox{Cat}^{(m)}\bigl(I_{2}(k)\bigr). Subsequently, we prove some structural and topological properties of these lattices---namely that they are trim and EL-shellable---which were known for $\mathcal{C}_{k}$ before. Remarkably, our construction coincides in the case $k=3$ with the $m$-Tamari lattice of parameter 3 due to Bergeron and Pr{\'e}ville-Ratelle. Eventually, we investigate this construction in the context of other Coxeter groups, in particular we conjecture that the lattice completion of the analogous construction for the symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_{n}$ and the long cycle $(1\;2\;\ldots\;n)$ is isomorphic to the $m$-Tamari lattice of parameter $n$.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures. The results of this paper are subsumed by arXiv:1312.2520, and it will therefore not be publishe