Equidistribution and Sign-Balance on 321-Avoiding Permutations

Let $T_n$ be the set of 321-avoiding permutations of order $n$. Two properties of $T_n$ are proved: (1) The {\em last descent} and {\em last index minus one} statistics are equidistributed over $T_n$, and also over subsets of permutations whose inverse has an (almost) prescribed descent set. An analogous result holds for Dyck paths. (2) The sign-and-last-descent enumerators for $T_{2n}$ and $T_{2n+1}$ are essentially equal to the last-descent enumerator for $T_n$. The proofs use a recursion formula for an appropriate multivariate generating function.Comment: 17 pages; to appear in S\'em. Lothar. Combi

Revstack sort, zigzag patterns, descent polynomials of tt-revstack sortable permutations, and Steingr\'imsson's sorting conjecture

In this paper we examine the sorting operator $T(LnR)=T(R)T(L)n$. Applying this operator to a permutation is equivalent to passing the permutation reversed through a stack. We prove theorems that characterise $t$-revstack sortability in terms of patterns in a permutation that we call $zigzag$ patterns. Using these theorems we characterise those permutations of length $n$ which are sorted by $t$ applications of $T$ for $t=0,1,2,n-3,n-2,n-1$. We derive expressions for the descent polynomials of these six classes of permutations and use this information to prove Steingr\'imsson's sorting conjecture for those six values of $t$. Symmetry and unimodality of the descent polynomials for general $t$-revstack sortable permutations is also proven and three conjectures are given

Permutation patterns and statistics

Let S_n denote the symmetric group of all permutations of the set {1, 2, ...,n} and let S = \cup_{n\ge0} S_n. If Pi is a set of permutations, then we let Av_n(Pi) be the set of permutations in S_n which avoid every permutation of Pi in the sense of pattern avoidance. One of the celebrated notions in pattern theory is that of Wilf-equivalence, where Pi and Pi' are Wilf equivalent if #Av_n(Pi)=#Av_n(Pi') for all n\ge0. In a recent paper, Sagan and Savage proposed studying a q-analogue of this concept defined as follows. Suppose st:S->N is a permutation statistic where N represents the nonnegative integers. Consider the corresponding generating function, F_n^{st}(Pi;q) = sum_{sigma in Av_n(Pi)} q^{st sigma}, and call Pi,Pi' st-Wilf equivalent if F_n^{st}(Pi;q)=F_n^{st}(Pi';q) for all n\ge0. We present the first in-depth study of this concept for the inv and maj statistics. In particular, we determine all inv- and maj-Wilf equivalences for any Pi containd in S_3. This leads us to consider various q-analogues of the Catalan numbers, Fibonacci numbers, triangular numbers, and powers of two. Our proof techniques use lattice paths, integer partitions, and Foata's fundamental bijection. We also answer a question about Mahonian pairs raised in the Sagan-Savage article.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, tightened up the exposition, noted that some of the conjectures have been prove

Avoidance of Partitions of a Three-element Set

Klazar defined and studied a notion of pattern avoidance for set partitions, which is an analogue of pattern avoidance for permutations. Sagan considered partitions which avoid a single partition of three elements. We enumerate partitions which avoid any family of partitions of a 3-element set as was done by Simion and Schmidt for permutations. We also consider even and odd set partitions. We provide enumerative results for set partitions restricted by generalized set partition patterns, which are an analogue of the generalized permutation patterns of Babson and Steingr{\'{\i}}msson. Finally, in the spirit of work done by Babson and Steingr{'{\i}}msson, we will show how these generalized partition patterns can be used to describe set partition statistics.Comment: 23 pages, 2 tables, 1 figure, to appear in Advances in Applied Mathematic

Combinatorial Hopf algebras, noncommutative Hall-Littlewood functions, and permutation tableaux

We introduce a new family of noncommutative analogues of the Hall-Littlewood symmetric functions. Our construction relies upon Tevlin's bases and simple q-deformations of the classical combinatorial Hopf algebras. We connect our new Hall-Littlewood functions to permutation tableaux, and also give an exact formula for the q-enumeration of permutation tableaux of a fixed shape. This gives an explicit formula for: the steady state probability of each state in the partially asymmetric exclusion process (PASEP); the polynomial enumerating permutations with a fixed set of weak excedances according to crossings; the polynomial enumerating permutations with a fixed set of descent bottoms according to occurrences of the generalized pattern 2-31.Comment: 37 pages, 4 figures, new references adde