Evacuation and a geometric construction for Fibonacci tableaux

Tableaux have long been used to study combinatorial properties of permutations and multiset permutations. Discovered independently by Robinson and Schensted and generalized by Knuth, the Robinson–Schensted correspondence has provided a fundamental tool for relating permutations to tableaux. In 1963, Schützenberger defined a process called evacuation on standard tableaux which gives a relationship between the pairs of tableaux (P,Q) resulting from the Schensted correspondence for a permutation and both the reverse and the complement of that permutation. Viennot gave a geometric construction for the Schensted correspondence and Fomin described a generalization of the correspondence which provides a bijection between permutations and pairs of chains in Young's lattice.In 1975, Stanley defined a Fibonacci lattice and in 1988 he introduced the idea of a differential poset. Roby gave an insertion algorithm, analogous to the Schensted correspondence, for mapping a permutation to a pair of Fibonacci tableaux. The main results of this paper are to give an evacuation algorithm for the Fibonacci tableaux that is analogous to the evacuation algorithm on Young tableaux and to describe a geometric construction for the Fibonacci tableaux that is similar to Viennot's geometric construction for Young tableaux.     

Pattern avoidance for alternating permutations and Young tableaux

We define a class Ln,k of permutations that generalizes alternating (up-down) permutations and give bijective proofs of certain pattern-avoidance results for this class. As a special case of our results, we give bijections between the set A2n(1234) of alternating permutations of length 2n with no four-term increasing subsequence and standard Young tableaux of shape 〈n³〉, and between the set A2n+1(1234) and standard Young tableaux of shape 〈³n−1,2,1〉. This represents the first enumeration of alternating permutations avoiding a pattern of length four. We also extend previous work on doubly-alternating permutations (alternating permutations whose inverses are alternating) to our more general context.The set Ln,k may be viewed as the set of reading words of the standard Young tableaux of a certain skew shape. In the last section of the paper, we expand our study to consider pattern avoidance in the reading words of standard Young tableaux of any skew shape. We show bijectively that the number of standard Young tableaux of shape λ/μ whose reading words avoid 213 is a natural μ-analogue of the Catalan numbers (and in particular does not depend on λ, up to a simple technical condition), and that there are similar results for the patterns 132, 231 and 312.     

Primitive elements of the Hopf algebras of tableaux

The character theory of symmetric groups, and the theory of symmetric functions, both make use of the combinatorics of Young tableaux, such as the Robinson–Schensted algorithm, Schützenberger’s “jeu de taquin”, and evacuation. In 1995 Poirier and the second author introduced some algebraic structures, different from the plactic monoid, which induce some products and coproducts of tableaux, with homomorphisms. Their starting point are the two dual Hopf algebras of permutations, introduced by the authors in 1995. In 2006 Aguiar and Sottile studied in more detail the Hopf algebra of permutations: among other things, they introduce a new basis, by Möbius inversion in the poset of weak order, that allows them to describe the primitive elements of the Hopf algebra of permutations. In the present Note, by a similar method, we determine the primitive elements of the Poirier–Reutenauer algebra of tableaux, using a partial order on tableaux defined by Taskin.     

Balanced tableaux

We study a new class of tableaux defined by a certain condition on hook-ranks. Many connections with the classical theory of standard Young tableaux are developed, as well as applications to the problem of enumerating reduced decompositions of permutations in S_n.     

A Generating Tree Approach to <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-Nonnesting Partitions and Permutations

We describe a generating tree approach to the enumeration and exhaustive generation of k-nonnesting set partitions and permutations. Unlike previous work in the literature which uses the connections of these objects to Young tableaux and restricted lattice walks, our approach deals directly with partition and permutation diagrams. We provide explicit functional equations for the generating functions, with k as a parameter. Key to the solution is a superset of diagrams that permit semi-arcs. Many of the resulting counting sequences also count other well-known objects, such as Baxter permutations, and Young tableaux of bounded height.     

Stack words, standard Young tableaux, permutations with forbidden subsequences and planar maps

Stack words stem from studies on stack-sortable permutations and represent classical combinatorial objects such as standard Young tableaux, permutations with forbidden sequences and planar maps. We extend existing enumerative results on stack words and we also obtain new results. In particular, we make a correspondence between nonseparable 3×n rectangular standard Young tableaux (or stack words where elements satisfy a ‘Towers of Hanoi’ condition) and nonseparable cubic rooted planar maps with 2n vertices enumerated by 2ⁿ(3n)!/((2n+1)!(n+1)!). Moreover, these tableaux without two consecutive integers in the same row are in bijection with nonseparable rooted planar maps with n+1 edges enumerated by 2(3n)!/((2n+1)!(n+1)!).     

A Matrix-analog for Viennot's construction of the Robinson correspondence

The notion of Viennot matrix which is here introduced provides a convenient combinatorial set-up to describe the Robinson correspondence between permutations and pairs of Young tableaux. By means of that set-up a Simon-Newcomb property is reproved in a simple manner.     

Enumeration formulas for young tableaux in a diagonal strip

We derive combinatorial identities, involving the Bernoulli and Euler numbers, for the numbers of standard Young tableaux of certain skew shapes. This generalizes the classical formulas of D. André on the number of up-down permutations. The analysis uses a transfer operator approach extending the method of Elkies, combined with an identity expressing the volume of a certain polytope in terms of a Schur function.     

On Some Properties of Permutation Tableaux

We consider the relations between various permutation statistics and properties of permutation tableaux. We answer some of the open problems of Steingrímsson and Williams [8], in particular, on the distribution of the bistatistic of numbers of rows and essential ones in permutation tableaux. We also consider and enumerate sets of permutation tableaux related to some pattern restrictions on permutations. Research supported in part by the NSA Young Investigator Grant H98230-06-1-0037.     

The structure of alternative tableaux

In this paper we study alternative tableaux introduced by Viennot [X. Viennot, Alternative tableaux, permutations and partially asymmetric exclusion process, talk in Cambridge, 2008]. These tableaux are in simple bijection with permutation tableaux, defined previously by Postnikov [A. Postnikov, Total positivity, Grassmannians, and networks, arXiv:math/0609764v1 [math.CO], 2006].We exhibit a simple recursive structure for alternative tableaux, from which we can easily deduce a number of enumerative results. We also give bijections between these tableaux and certain classes of labeled trees. Finally, we exhibit a bijection with permutations, and relate it to some other bijections that already appeared in the literature.     

The Potts model representation and a Robinson–Schensted correspondence for the partition algebra

We construct a correspondence between the set of partitions of a finite set M and the set of pairs of walks to the same vertex on a graph giving the Bratteli diagram of the partition algebra on M. This is the precise analogue of the correspondence between the set of permutations of a finite set and the set of pairs of Young tableaux of the same shape, called the Robinson–Schensted correspondence.     

The Distributions of the Entries of Young Tableaux

Let T be a standard Young tableau of shape λ⊢k. We show that the probability that a randomly chosen Young tableau of n cells contains T as a subtableau is, in the limit n→∞, equal to f^λ/k!, where f^λ is the number of all tableaux of shape λ. In other words, the probability that a large tableau contains T is equal to the number of tableaux whose shape is that of T, divided by k!. We give several applications, to the probabilities that a set of prescribed entries will appear in a set of prescribed cells of a tableau, and to the probabilities that subtableaux of given shapes will occur. Our argument rests on a notion of quasirandomness of families of permutations, and we give sufficient conditions for this to hold.     

Permutation tableaux and permutation patterns

In this paper we introduce and study a class of tableaux which we call permutation tableaux; these tableaux are naturally in bijection with permutations, and they are a distinguished subset of the -diagrams of Alex Postnikov [A. Postnikov, Webs in totally positive Grassmann cells, in preparation; L. Williams, Enumeration of totally positive Grassmann cells, Adv. Math. 190 (2005) 319-342]. The structure of these tableaux is in some ways more transparent than the structure of permutations; therefore we believe that permutation tableaux will be useful in furthering the understanding of permutations. We give two bijections from permutation tableaux to permutations. The first bijection carries tableaux statistics to permutation statistics based on relative sizes of pairs of letters in a permutation and their places. We call these statistics weak excedance statistics because of their close relation to weak excedances. The second bijection carries tableaux statistics (via the weak excedance statistics) to statistics based on generalized permutation patterns. We then give enumerative applications of these bijections. One nice consequence of these results is that the polynomial enumerating permutation tableaux according to their content generalizes both Carlitz' q-analog of the Eulerian numbers [L. Carlitz, q-Bernoulli and Eulerian numbers, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 76 (1954) 332-350] and the more recent q-analog of the Eulerian numbers found in [L. Williams, Enumeration of totally positive Grassmann cells, Adv. Math. 190 (2005) 319-342]. We conclude our paper with a list of open problems, as well as remarks on progress on these problems which has been made by A. Burstein, S. Corteel, N. Eriksen, A. Reifegerste, and X. Viennot.     

Enumeration des tableaux standards

Nous présentons dans cet article un algorithme qui permet de construire parmi les tableaux standards de forme donnée (ou tableaux de Young), celui qui est de rang R. On ordonne l'ensemble des tableaux standards $\text{D}$_a correspondant au diagramme de Ferrers du partage a. que l'on met en bijection avec {1,2,…,card$\text{D}$_a}. L'algorithme construit, par une méthode de dénombrement des chemins intermédiaries entre deux partages dans le treillis de Young, le R-iéme tableau.Cette méthode de rangement des tableaux standards s'applique á l'énumération des permutations dont les plus longues suites extraites croissantes et décroissantes sont de longueurs fixées et á l'énumération des permutations qui présentent une séquence de “croissances-décroissances” (up-down) donnée.     

Enumeration of permutations with prescribed up-down and inversion sequences

A method is described by which the enumeration of permutations of 1, 2, … n with a prescribed sequence A of rises and falls, or a prescribed sequence B of inversions of order, or with both A and B, is effected in terms of numbers derived from the representation theory of the symmetric group. A connexion with Schensted pairs of standard Young tableaux is also discussed.     

Four positive formulae for type A quiver polynomials

We give four positive formulae for the (equioriented type A) quiver polynomials of Buch and Fulton [BF99 ]. All four formulae are combinatorial, in the sense that they are expressed in terms of combinatorial objects of certain types: Zelevinsky permutations, lacing diagrams, Young tableaux, and pipe dreams (also known as rc-graphs). Three of our formulae are multiplicity-free and geometric, meaning that their summands have coefficient 1 and correspond bijectively to components of a torus-invariant scheme. The remaining (presently non-geometric) formula is a variant of the conjecture of Buch and Fulton in terms of factor sequences of Young tableaux [BF99 ]; our proof of it proceeds by way of a new characterization of the tableaux counted by quiver constants. All four formulae come naturally in “doubled” versions, two for double quiver polynomials, and the other two for their stable limits, the double quiver functions, where setting half the variables equal to the other half specializes to the ordinary case. Our method begins by identifying quiver polynomials as multidegrees [BB82 , Jos84 , BB85 , Ros89 ] via equivariant Chow groups [EG98 ]. Then we make use of Zelevinsky’s map from quiver loci to open subvarieties of Schubert varieties in partial flag manifolds [Zel85 ]. Interpreted in equivariant cohomology, this lets us write double quiver polynomials as ratios of double Schubert polynomials [LS82 ] associated to Zelevinsky permutations; this is our first formula. In the process, we provide a simple argument that Zelevinsky maps are scheme-theoretic isomorphisms (originally proved in [LM98 ]). Writing double Schubert polynomials in terms of pipe dreams [FK96 ] then provides another geometric formula for double quiver polynomials, via [KM05 ]. The combinatorics of pipe dreams for Zelevinsky permutations implies an expression for limits of double quiver polynomials in terms of products of Stanley symmetric functions [Sta84 ]. A degeneration of quiver loci (orbit closures of GL on quiver representations) to unions of products of matrix Schubert varieties [Ful92 , KM05 ] identifies the summands in our Stanley function formula combinatorially, as lacing diagrams that we construct based on the strands of Abeasis and Del Fra in the representation theory of quivers [AD80 ]. Finally, we apply the combinatorial theory of key polynomials to pass from our lacing diagram formula to a double Schur function formula in terms of peelable tableaux [RS95a , RS98 ], and from there to our formula of Buch–Fulton type.     

Rapidly Mixing Random Walks and Bounds on Characters of the Symmetric Group

We investigate mixing of random walks on S _n and A _n generated by permutations of a given cycle structure. The approach follows methods developed by Diaconis, which requires certain estimates on characters of the symmetric group and uses combinatorics of Young tableaux. We conclude with conjectures and open problems.     

A Unified Approach to Combinatorial Formulas for Schubert Polynomials

Schubert polynomials were introduced in the context of the geometry of flag varieties. This paper investigates some of the connections not yet understood between several combinatorial structures for the construction of Schubert polynomials; we also present simplifications in some of the existing approaches to this area. We designate certain line diagrams for permutations known as rc-graphs as the main structure. The other structures in the literature we study include: semistandard Young tableaux, Kohnert diagrams, and balanced labelings of the diagram of a permutation. The main tools in our investigation are certain operations on rc-graphs, which correspond to the coplactic operations on tableaux, and thus define a crystal graph structure on rc-graphs; a new definition of these operations is presented. One application of these operations is a straightforward, purely combinatorial proof of a recent formula (due to Buch, Kresch, Tamvakis, and Yong), which expresses Schubert polynomials in terms of products of Schur polynomials. In spite of the fact that it refers to many objects and results related to them, the paper is mostly self-contained.