On two unimodal descent polynomials

The descent polynomials of separable permutations and derangements are both demonstrated to be unimodal. Moreover, we prove that the $\gamma$-coefficients of the first are positive with an interpretation parallel to the classical Eulerian polynomial, while the second is spiral, a property stronger than unimodality. Furthermore, we conjecture that they are both real-rooted.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure

Applications of the Brauer complex: card shuffling, permutation statistics, and dynamical systems

By algebraic group theory, there is a map from the semisimple conjugacy classes of a finite group of Lie type to the conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. Picking a semisimple class uniformly at random yields a probability measure on conjugacy classes of the Weyl group. Using the Brauer complex, it is proved that this measure agrees with a second measure on conjugacy classes of the Weyl group induced by a construction of Cellini using the affine Weyl group. Formulas for Cellini's measure in type $A$ are found. This leads to new models of card shuffling and has interesting combinatorial and number theoretic consequences. An analysis of type C gives another solution to a problem of Rogers in dynamical systems: the enumeration of unimodal permutations by cycle structure. The proof uses the factorization theory of palindromic polynomials over finite fields. Contact is made with symmetric function theory.Comment: One change: we fix a typo in definition of f(m,k,i,d) on page 1

The Eulerian distribution on the involutions of the hyperoctahedral group is unimodal

The Eulerian distribution on the involutions of the symmetric group is unimodal, as shown by Guo and Zeng. In this paper we prove that the Eulerian distribution on the involutions of the hyperoctahedral group, when viewed as a colored permutation group, is unimodal in a similar way and we compute its generating function, using signed quasisymmetric functions.Comment: 11 pages, zero figure

Affine descents and the Steinberg torus

Let $W\ltimes L$ be an irreducible affine Weyl group with Coxeter complex $\Sigma$, where $W$ denotes the associated finite Weyl group and $L$ the translation subgroup. The Steinberg torus is the Boolean cell complex obtained by taking the quotient of $\Sigma$ by the lattice $L$. We show that the ordinary and flag $h$-polynomials of the Steinberg torus (with the empty face deleted) are generating functions over $W$ for a descent-like statistic first studied by Cellini. We also show that the ordinary $h$-polynomial has a nonnegative $\gamma$-vector, and hence, symmetric and unimodal coefficients. In the classical cases, we also provide expansions, identities, and generating functions for the $h$-polynomials of Steinberg tori.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure

The Eulerian Distribution on Involutions is Indeed Unimodal

Let I_{n,k} (resp. J_{n,k}) be the number of involutions (resp. fixed-point free involutions) of {1,...,n} with k descents. Motivated by Brenti's conjecture which states that the sequence I_{n,0}, I_{n,1},..., I_{n,n-1} is log-concave, we prove that the two sequences I_{n,k} and J_{2n,k} are unimodal in k, for all n. Furthermore, we conjecture that there are nonnegative integers a_{n,k} such that $$\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}I_{n,k}t^k=\sum_{k=0}^{\lfloor (n-1)/2\rfloor}a_{n,k}t^{k}(1+t)^{n-2k-1}.$$ This statement is stronger than the unimodality of I_{n,k} but is also interesting in its own right.Comment: 12 pages, minor changes, to appear in J. Combin. Theory Ser.