Canonical characters on quasi-symmetric functions and bivariate Catalan numbers

Every character on a graded connected Hopf algebra decomposes uniquely as a product of an even character and an odd character (Aguiar, Bergeron, and Sottile, math.CO/0310016). We obtain explicit formulas for the even and odd parts of the universal character on the Hopf algebra of quasi-symmetric functions. They can be described in terms of Legendre's beta function evaluated at half-integers, or in terms of bivariate Catalan numbers: $$C(m,n)=\frac{(2m)!(2n)!}{m!(m+n)!n!}.$$ Properties of characters and of quasi-symmetric functions are then used to derive several interesting identities among bivariate Catalan numbers and in particular among Catalan numbers and central binomial coefficients

Overpartitions, lattice paths and Rogers-Ramanujan identities

We extend partition-theoretic work of Andrews, Bressoud, and Burge to overpartitions, defining the notions of successive ranks, generalized Durfee squares, and generalized lattice paths, and then relating these to overpartitions defined by multiplicity conditions on the parts. This leads to many new partition and overpartition identities, and provides a unification of a number of well-known identities of the Rogers-Ramanujan type. Among these are Gordon's generalization of the Rogers-Ramanujan identities, Andrews' generalization of the G\"ollnitz-Gordon identities, and Lovejoy's ``Gordon's theorems for overpartitions.

Identities for classical group characters of nearly rectangular shape

We derive several identities that feature irreducible characters of the general linear, the symplectic, the orthogonal, and the special orthogonal groups. All the identities feature characters that are indexed by shapes that are "nearly" rectangular, by which we mean that the shapes are rectangles except for one row or column that might be shorter than the others. As applications we prove new results in plane partitions and tableaux enumeration, including new refinements of the Bender-Knuth and MacMahon (ex-)conjectures.Comment: 55 pages, AmS-TeX; to appear in J. Algebr

Permutation Statistics on the Alternating Group

Let $A_n\subseteq S_n$ denote the alternating and the symmetric groups on $1,...,n$. MacMahaon's theorem, about the equi-distribution of the length and the major indices in $S_n$, has received far reaching refinements and generalizations, by Foata, Carlitz, Foata-Schutzenberger, Garsia-Gessel and followers. Our main goal is to find analogous statistics and identities for the alternating group $A_{n}$. A new statistic for $S_n$, {\it the delent number}, is introduced. This new statistic is involved with new $S_n$ equi-distribution identities, refining some of the results of Foata-Schutzenberger and Garsia-Gessel. By a certain covering map $f:A_{n+1}\to S_n$, such $S_n$ identities are `lifted' to $A_{n+1}$, yielding the corresponding $A_{n+1}$ equi-distribution identities.Comment: 45 page

On the weighted enumeration of alternating sign matrices and descending plane partitions

We prove a conjecture of Mills, Robbins and Rumsey [Alternating sign matrices and descending plane partitions, J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 34 (1983), 340-359] that, for any n, k, m and p, the number of nxn alternating sign matrices (ASMs) for which the 1 of the first row is in column k+1 and there are exactly m -1's and m+p inversions is equal to the number of descending plane partitions (DPPs) for which each part is at most n and there are exactly k parts equal to n, m special parts and p nonspecial parts. The proof involves expressing the associated generating functions for ASMs and DPPs with fixed n as determinants of nxn matrices, and using elementary transformations to show that these determinants are equal. The determinants themselves are obtained by standard methods: for ASMs this involves using the Izergin-Korepin formula for the partition function of the six-vertex model with domain-wall boundary conditions, together with a bijection between ASMs and configurations of this model, and for DPPs it involves using the Lindstrom-Gessel-Viennot theorem, together with a bijection between DPPs and certain sets of nonintersecting lattice paths.Comment: v2: published versio

The blob complex

Given an n-manifold M and an n-category C, we define a chain complex (the "blob complex") B_*(M;C). The blob complex can be thought of as a derived category analogue of the Hilbert space of a TQFT, and as a generalization of Hochschild homology to n-categories and n-manifolds. It enjoys a number of nice formal properties, including a higher dimensional generalization of Deligne's conjecture about the action of the little disks operad on Hochschild cochains. Along the way, we give a definition of a weak n-category with strong duality which is particularly well suited for work with TQFTs.Comment: 106 pages. Version 3 contains many improvements following suggestions from the referee and others, and some additional materia

The generalized Borwein conjecture. II. Refined q-trinomial coefficients

Transformation formulas for four-parameter refinements of the q-trinomial coefficients are proven. The iterative nature of these transformations allows for the easy derivation of several infinite series of q-trinomial identities, and can be applied to prove many instances of Bressoud's generalized Borwein conjecture.Comment: 36 pages, AMS-LaTe