Odd length for even hyperoctahedral groups and signed generating functions

We define a new statistic on the even hyperoctahedral groups which is a natural analogue of the odd length statistic recently defined and studied on Coxeter groups of types $A$ and $B$. We compute the signed (by length) generating function of this statistic over the whole group and over its maximal and some other quotients and show that it always factors nicely. We also present some conjectures

Alternating subgroups of Coxeter groups

We study combinatorial properties of the alternating subgroup of a Coxeter group, using a presentation of it due to Bourbaki.Comment: 39 pages, 3 figure

A unified approach to polynomial sequences with only real zeros

We give new sufficient conditions for a sequence of polynomials to have only real zeros based on the method of interlacing zeros. As applications we derive several well-known facts, including the reality of zeros of orthogonal polynomials, matching polynomials, Narayana polynomials and Eulerian polynomials. We also settle certain conjectures of Stahl on genus polynomials by proving them for certain classes of graphs, while showing that they are false in general.Comment: 19 pages, Advances in Applied Mathematics, in pres

Recurrence Relations for Strongly q-Log-Convex Polynomials

We consider a class of strongly q-log-convex polynomials based on a triangular recurrence relation with linear coefficients, and we show that the Bell polynomials, the Bessel polynomials, the Ramanujan polynomials and the Dowling polynomials are strongly q-log-convex. We also prove that the Bessel transformation preserves log-convexity.Comment: 15 page

Mixed Bruhat operators and Yang-Baxter equations for Weyl groups

We introduce and study a family of operators which act in the span of a Weyl group $W$ and provide a multi-parameter solution to the quantum Yang-Baxter equations of the corresponding type. Our operators generalize the "quantum Bruhat operators" that appear in the explicit description of the multiplicative structure of the (small) quantum cohomology ring of $G/B$. The main combinatorial applications concern the "tilted Bruhat order," a graded poset whose unique minimal element is an arbitrarily chosen element $w\in W$. (The ordinary Bruhat order corresponds to the case $w=1$.) Using the mixed Bruhat operators, we prove that these posets are lexicographically shellable, and every interval in a tilted Bruhat order is Eulerian. This generalizes well known results of Verma, Bjorner, Wachs, and Dyer.Comment: 19 page