Enumerative properties of Ferrers graphs

We define a class of bipartite graphs that correspond naturally with Ferrers diagrams. We give expressions for the number of spanning trees, the number of Hamiltonian paths when applicable, the chromatic polynomial, and the chromatic symmetric function. We show that the linear coefficient of the chromatic polynomial is given by the excedance set statistic.Comment: 12 page

Power sum expansion of chromatic quasisymmetric functions

The chromatic quasisymmetric function of a graph was introduced by Shareshian and Wachs as a refinement of Stanley's chromatic symmetric function. An explicit combinatorial formula, conjectured by Shareshian and Wachs, expressing the chromatic quasisymmetric function of the incomparability graph of a natural unit interval order in terms of power sum symmetric functions, is proven. The proof uses a formula of Roichman for the irreducible characters of the symmetric group.Comment: Final version, 9 pages; comments by a referee incorporate

Bruhat order, smooth Schubert varieties, and hyperplane arrangements

The aim of this article is to link Schubert varieties in the flag manifold with hyperplane arrangements. For a permutation, we construct a certain graphical hyperplane arrangement. We show that the generating function for regions of this arrangement coincides with the Poincare polynomial of the corresponding Schubert variety if and only if the Schubert variety is smooth. We give an explicit combinatorial formula for the Poincare polynomial. Our main technical tools are chordal graphs and perfect elimination orderings.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure