Simple permutations and algebraic generating functions

A simple permutation is one that never maps a nontrivial contiguous set of indices contiguously. Given a set of permutations that is closed under taking subpermutations and contains only finitely many simple permutations, we provide a framework for enumerating subsets that are restricted by properties belonging to a finite “query-complete set.” Such properties include being even, being an alternating permutation, and avoiding a given generalised (blocked or barred) pattern. We show that the generating functions for these subsets are always algebraic, thereby generalising recent results of Albert and Atkinson. We also apply these techniques to the enumeration of involutions and cyclic closures.     

The pure descent statistic on permutations

We introduce a new statistic based on permutation descents which has a distribution given by the Stirling numbers of the first kind, i.e., with the same distribution as for the number of cycles in permutations. We study this statistic on the sets of permutations avoiding one pattern of length three by giving bivariate generating functions. As a consequence, new classes of permutations enumerated by the Motzkin numbers are obtained. Finally, we deduce results about the popularity of the pure descents in all these restricted sets.     

Restricted 123-avoiding Baxter permutations and the Padovan numbers

Baxter studied a particular class of permutations by considering fixed points of the composite of commuting functions. This class is called Baxter permutations. In this paper we investigate the number of 123-avoiding Baxter permutations of length n that also avoid (or contain a prescribed number of occurrences of) another certain pattern of length k. In several interesting cases the generating function depends only on k and is expressed via the generating function for the Padovan numbers.     

Recurrence relations in counting the pattern 13-2 in flattened permutations

We prove that the generating function for the number of flattened permutations having a given number of occurrences of the pattern 13-2 is rational, by using the recurrence relations and the kernel method.     

Restricted colored permutations and Chebyshev polynomials

Several authors have examined connections between restricted permutations and Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind. In this paper we prove analogues of these results for colored permutations. First we define a distinguished set of length two and length three patterns, which contains only 312 when just one color is used. Then we give a recursive procedure for computing the generating function for the colored permutations which avoid this distinguished set and any set of additional patterns, which we use to find a new set of signed permutations counted by the Catalan numbers and a new set of signed permutations counted by the large Schröder numbers. We go on to use this result to compute the generating functions for colored permutations which avoid our distinguished set and any layered permutation with three or fewer layers. We express these generating functions in terms of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind and we show that they are special cases of generating functions for involutions which avoid 3412 and a layered permutation.     

Pattern-restricted permutations composed of 3-cycles

In this paper, we characterize and enumerate pattern-avoiding permutations composed of only 3-cycles. In particular, we answer the question for the six patterns of length 3. We find that the number of permutations composed of n 3-cycles that avoid the pattern 231 (equivalently 312) is given by $3^{n?1}$, while the generating function for the number of those that avoid the pattern 132 (equivalently 213) is given by a formula involving the generating functions for the well-known Motzkin numbers and Catalan numbers. The number of permutations composed of n 3-cycles that avoid the pattern 321 is characterized by a weighted sum involving statistics on Dyck paths of semilength n.     

Restricted permutations and the wreath product

Restricted permutations are those constrained by having to avoid subsequences ordered in various prescribed ways. A closed set is a set of permutations all satisfying a given basis set of restrictions. A wreath product construction is introduced and it is shown that this construction gives rise to a number of useful techniques for deciding the finite basis question and solving the enumeration problem. Several applications of these techniques are given.     

On the generating function for consecutively weighted permutations

We show that the analytic continuation of the exponential generating function associated to consecutive weighted pattern enumeration of permutations only has poles and no essential singularities. The proof uses the connection between permutation enumeration and functional analysis, and as well as the Laurent expansion of the associated resolvent. As a consequence, we give a partial answer to a question of Elizalde and Noy: when is the multiplicative inverse of the exponential generating function for the number permutations avoiding a single pattern an entire function? Our work implies that it is enough to verify that this function has no zeros to conclude that the inverse function is entire.     

Stable multivariate Eulerian polynomials and generalized Stirling permutations

We study Eulerian polynomials as the generating polynomials of the descent statistic over Stirling permutations—a class of restricted multiset permutations. We develop their multivariate refinements by indexing variables by the values at the descent tops, rather than the position where they appear. We prove that the obtained multivariate polynomials are stable, in the sense that they do not vanish whenever all the variables lie in the open upper half-plane. Our multivariate construction generalizes the multivariate Eulerian polynomial for permutations, and extends naturally to r-Stirling and generalized Stirling permutations.The benefit of this refinement is manifold. First of all, the stability of the multivariate generating functions implies that their univariate counterparts, obtained by diagonalization, have only real roots. Second, we obtain simpler recurrences of a general pattern, which allows for essentially a single proof of stability for all the cases, and further proofs of equidistributions among different statistics. Our approach provides a unifying framework of some recent results of Bóna, Brändén, Brenti, Janson, Kuba, and Panholzer. We conclude by posing several interesting open problems.     

Arc permutations

Arc permutations and unimodal permutations were introduced in the study of triangulations and characters. This paper studies combinatorial properties and structures on these permutations. First, both sets are characterized by pattern avoidance. It is also shown that arc permutations carry a natural affine Weyl group action, and that the number of geodesics between a distinguished pair of antipodes in the associated Schreier graph, and the number of maximal chains in the weak order on unimodal permutations, are both equal to twice the number of standard Young tableaux of shifted staircase shape. Finally, a bijection from non-unimodal arc permutations to Young tableaux of certain shapes, which preserves the descent set, is described and applied to deduce a conjectured character formula of Regev.     

Rationality for subclasses of 321-avoiding permutations

We prove that every proper subclass of the 321-avoiding permutations that is defined either by only finitely many additional restrictions or is well-quasi-ordered has a rational generating function. To do so we show that any such class is in bijective correspondence with a regular language. The proof makes significant use of formal languages and of a host of encodings, including a new mapping called the panel encoding that maps languages over the infinite alphabet of positive integers avoiding certain subwords to languages over finite alphabets.     

Block decomposition of permutations and Schur-positivity

The block number of a permutation is the maximum number of components in its expression as a direct sum. We show that, for 321-avoiding permutations, the set of left-to-right maxima has the same distribution when the block number is assumed to be k, as when the last descent of the inverse is assumed to be at position \(n - k\). This result is analogous to the Foata–Schützenberger equidistribution theorem, and implies that the quasi-symmetric generating function of the descent set over 321-avoiding permutations with a prescribed number of blocks is Schur-positive.     

Clusters,generating functions and asymptotics for consecutive patterns in permutations

We use the cluster method to enumerate permutations avoiding consecutive patterns. We reprove and generalize in a unified way several known results and obtain new ones, including some patterns of lengths 4 and 5, as well as some infinite families of patterns of a given shape. By enumerating linear extensions of certain posets, we find a differential equation satisfied by the inverse of the exponential generating function counting occurrences of the pattern. We prove that for a large class of patterns, this inverse is always an entire function.We also complete the classification of consecutive patterns of length up to 6 into equivalence classes, proving a conjecture of Nakamura. Finally, we show that the monotone pattern asymptotically dominates (in the sense that it is easiest to avoid) all non-overlapping patterns of the same length, thus proving a conjecture of Elizalde and Noy for a positive fraction of all patterns.     

Decomposing simple permutations,with enumerative consequences

We prove that every sufficiently long simple permutation contains two long almost disjoint simple subsequences, and then we show how this result has enumerative consequences. For example, it implies that, for any r, the number of permutations with at most r copies of 132 has an algebraic generating function (this was previously proved, constructively, by Bóna and (independently) Mansour and Vainshtein). Supported by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship. Supported by EPSRC grant GR/S53503/01.     

Sequences generating permutations

Linear recurring sequences generating permutations of the elements of a finite ring are introduced and examined. A complete answer to the discussed problems is given for the second-order sequences over Z_M. The possibilities for applications are also discussed.     

An integral characterization of random permutations. A point process approach

We consider random finite permutations and prove the following version of Thoma’s theorem in [8]: Random finite permutations which are class functions satisfy a new integration by parts formula if and only if they are given by a certain Ewens-Sütö process. The main source of inspiration for the results in this note is the fundamental work of Andras Sütö [7], from which some results are reestablished here again in the present point process approach.     

Restricted signed permutations counted by the Schröder numbers

Gire, West, and Kremer have found ten classes of restricted permutations counted by the large Schröder numbers, no two of which are trivially Wilf-equivalent. In this paper we enumerate eleven classes of restricted signed permutations counted by the large Schröder numbers, no two of which are trivially Wilf-equivalent. We obtain five of these enumerations by elementary methods, five by displaying isomorphisms with the classical Schröder generating tree, and one by giving an isomorphism with a new Schröder generating tree. When combined with a result of Egge and a computer search, this completes the classification of restricted signed permutations counted by the large Schröder numbers in which the set of restrictions consists of two patterns of length 2 and two of length 3.     

Labeled partitions with colored permutations

In this paper, we extend the notion of labeled partitions with ordinary permutations to colored permutations. We use this structure to derive the generating function of the indices of colored permutations. We further give a combinatorial treatment of a relation on the q-derangement numbers with respect to colored permutations. Based on labeled partitions, we provide an involution that implies the generating function formula due to Gessel and Simon for signed q-counting of the major indices. This involution can be extended to signed permutations. This gives a combinatorial interpretation of a formula of Adin, Gessel and Roichman.     

The shape of random pattern-avoiding permutations

We initiate the study of limit shapes for random permutations avoiding a given pattern. Specifically, for patterns of length 3, we obtain delicate results on the asymptotics of distributions of positions of numbers in the permutations. We view the permutations as 0–1 matrices to describe the resulting asymptotics geometrically. We then apply our results to obtain a number of results on distributions of permutation statistics.