To every subspace arrangement X we will associate symmetric functions P[X] and H[X]. These symmetric functions encode the Hilbert series and the minimal projective resolution of the product ideal associated to the subspace arrangement. They can be defined for discrete polymatroids as well. The invariant H[X] specializes to the Tutte polynomial T[X]. Billera, Jia and Reiner recently introduced a quasi-symmetric function F[X] (for matroids) which behaves valuatively with respect to matroid base polytope decompositions. We will define a quasi-symmetric function G[X] for polymatroids which has this property as well. Moreover, G[X] specializes to P[X], H[X], T[X] and F[X].
Many important invariants for matroids and polymatroids, such as the Tutte polynomial, the Billera-Jia-Reiner quasi-symmetric function, and the invariant $\mathcal G$ introduced by the first author, are valuative. In this paper we construct the $\Z$-modules of all $\Z$-valued valuative functions for labeled matroids and polymatroids on a fixed ground set, and their unlabeled counterparts, the $\Z$-modules of valuative invariants. We give explicit bases for these modules and for their dual modules generated by indicator functions of polytopes, and explicit formulas for their ranks. Our results …
We introduce megagreedoids, which generalize polymatroids, megamatroids, and greedoids. We define a quasisymmetric function invariant for a megagreedoid, and show that it has a positive expansion in the basis of fundamental quasisymmetric functions. Our proof involves lexicographic shellability. We also show that megagreedoids form a Hopf monoid. A running example is a megagreedoid associated to a rooted connected graph, and the resulting generalization of the chromatic symmetric function.
We define two-parameter families of noncommutative symmetric functions and quasi-symmetric functions, which appear to be the proper analogues of the Macdonald symmetric functions in these settings.
This article is devoted to the study of several algebras which are related to symmetric functions, and which admit linear bases labelled by various combinatorial objects: permutations (free quasi-symmetric functions), standard Young tableaux (free symmetric functions) and packed integer matrices (matrix quasi-symmetric functions). Free quasi-symmetric functions provide a kind of noncommutative Frobenius characteristic for a certain category of modules over the 0-Hecke algebras. New examples of indecomposable $H_n(0)$-modules are discussed, and the homological properties of $H_n(0)$ are compute…
We prove a Cauchy identity for free quasi-symmetric functions and apply it to the study of various bases. A free Weyl formula and a generalization of the splitting formula are also discussed.
We give a new proof of Chung and Graham's ``G-descent expansion'' of the classical chromatic polynomial, as well as a special case of the quasi-symmetric function expansion of the path-cycle symmetric function Xi_D. Both proofs rely on Stanley's quasi-symmetric function expansion of the chromatic symmetric function X_G. We also show that Stanley's expansion suggests that a Robinson-Schensted algorithm for (3+1)-free posets---something that has been sought for unsuccessfully for some time---ought to ``respect descents'' in a certain precise sense.
I give an elementary proof that a quasi-symmetric design without repeated blocks on $v$ points has at most $v\choose2$ blocks, with equality if and only if it is a tight $4$-design.
We define a new basis of the algebra of quasi-symmetric functions by lifting the cycle-index polynomials of symmetric groups to noncommutative polynomials with coefficients in the algebra of free quasi-symmetric functions, and then projecting the coefficients to $QSym$. By duality, we obtain a basis of noncommutative symmetric functions, for which a product formula and a recurrence in the form of a combinatorial complex are obtained. This basis allows to identify noncommutative symmetric functions with the quotient of FQSym induced by the pattern-replacement relation $321 \equiv 231$ and $312 …
We introduce dual Hopf algebras which simultaneously combine the concepts of the k-Schur function theory with the quasi-symmetric Schur function theory. We construct dual basis of these Hopf algebras with remarkable properties.
The dual codes of the ternary linear codes of the residual designs of biplanes on 56 points are used to prove the nonexistence of quasi-symmetric 2-$(56,12,9)$ and 2-$(57,12,11)$ designs with intersection numbers 0 and 3, and the nonexistence of a 2-$(267,57,12)$ quasi-3 design. The nonexistence of a 2-$(149,37,9)$ quasi-3 design is also proved.
We investigate the quotient ring $R$ of the ring of formal power series $\Q[[x_1,x_2,...]]$ over the closure of the ideal generated by non-constant quasi-\break symmetric functions. We show that a Hilbert basis of the quotient is naturally indexed by Catalan paths (infinite Dyck paths). We also give a filtration of ideals related to Catalan paths from $(0,0)$ and above the line $y=x-k$. We investigate as well the quotient ring $R_n$ of polynomial ring in $n$ variables over the ideal generated by non-constant quasi-symmetric polynomials. We show that the dimension of $R_n$ is bounded above by t…
Egge, Loehr, and Warrington proved a formula for the Schur function expansion of a symmetric function in terms of its expansion in fundamental quasi-symmetric functions. Their formula involves the coefficients of a modified inverse Kostka matrix. Recently Garsia and Remmel gave a simpler reformulation of Egge, Loehr, and Warrington's result, with a new proof. We give here a simple proof of Garsia and Remmel's version, using a sign-reversing involution.
We introduce analogues of the Hopf algebra of Free quasi-symmetric functions with bases labelled by colored permutations. As applications, we recover in a simple way the descent algebras associated with wreath products $Γ\wr\SG_n$ and the corresponding generalizations of quasi-symmetric functions. Also, we obtain Hopf algebras of colored parking functions, colored non-crossing partitions and parking functions of type $B$.
We construct bases of quasi-symmetric functions whose product rule is given by the shuffle of binary words, as for multiple zeta values in their integral representations, and then extend the construction to the algebra of free quasi-symmetric functions colored by positive integers. As a consequence, we show that the fractions introduced in [Guo and Xie, Ramanujan Jour. 25 (2011) 307-317] provide a realization of this algebra by rational moulds extending that of free quasi-symmetric functions given in [Chapoton et al., Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN 2008, no. 9, Art. ID rnn018].
We present some graphical characterizations of positive definite symmetric quasi-Cartan matrices of Dynkin type $\mathbb{A}_{n}$ and $\mathbb{D}_{n}$. Our proofs are constructive, purely graph theoretical, and almost self-contained in the sense that they rely on the classical inflations method only.
We introduce analogs of the Hopf algebra of Free quasi-symmetric functions with bases labelled by colored permutations. When the color set is a semigroup, an internal product can be introduced. This leads to the construction of generalized descent algebras associated with wreath products $Γ\wr\SG_n$ and to the corresponding generalizations of quasi-symmetric functions. The associated Hopf algebras appear as natural analogs of McMahon's multisymmetric functions. As a consequence, we obtain an internal product on ordinary multi-symmetric functions. We extend these constructions to Hopf algebras …
In this work, an effective construction, via Schützenberger's monoidal factorization, of dual bases for the non commutative symmetric and quasi-symmetric functions is proposed.
The immaculate basis of the non-commutative symmetric functions was recently introduced by the first and third author to lift certain structures in the symmetric functions to the dual Hopf algebras of the non-commutative and quasi-symmetric functions. It was shown that immaculate basis satisfies a positive, multiplicity free right Pieri rule. It was conjectured that the left Pieri rule may contain signs but that it would be multiplicity free. Similarly, it was also conjectured that the dual quasi-symmetric basis would also satisfy a signed multiplicity free Pieri rule. We prove these two conje…
Egge, Loehr and Warrington gave in \cite{ELW} a combinatorial formula that permits to convert the expansion of a symmetric function, homogeneous of degree $n$, in terms of Gessel's fundamental quasisymmetric functions into an expansion in terms of Schur functions. Surprisingly the Egge, Loehr and Warrington result may be shown to be simply equivalent to replacing the Gessel fundamental by a Schur function indexed by the same composition. In this paper we give a direct proof of the validity of this replacement. This interpretation of the result in \cite{ELW} has already been successfully applie…
This paper completes the classification of quasi-symmetric 2-$(64,24,46)$ designs of Blokhuis-Haemers type supported by the dual code $C^{\perp}$ of the binary linear code $C$ spanned by the lines of $AG(3,2^2)$ initiated in \cite{bgr-vdt}. It is shown that $C^{\perp}$ contains exactly 30,264 nonisomorphic quasi-symmetric 2-$(64,24,46)$ designs obtainable from maximal arcs in $AG(2,2^2)$ via the Blokhuis-Haemers construction. The related strongly regular graphs are also discussed.
The chromatic symmetric function $X_G$ of a graph $G$ was introduced by Stanley. In this paper we introduce a quasisymmetric generalization $X^k_G$ called the $k$-chromatic quasisymmetric function of $G$ and show that it is positive in the fundamental basis for the quasisymmetric functions. Following the specialization of $X_G$ to $χ_G(λ)$, the chromatic polynomial, we also define a generalization $χ^k_G(λ)$ and show that evaluations of this polynomial for negative values generalize a theorem of Stanley relating acyclic orientations to the chromatic polynomial.
We show that the ring of symmetric functions in superspace is a cocommutative and self-dual Hopf algebra. We provide formulas for the action of the coproduct and the antipode on various bases of that ring. We introduce the ring sQSym of quasisymmetric functions in superspace and show that it is a Hopf algebra. We give explicitly the product, coproduct and antipode on the basis of monomial quasisymmetric functions in superspace. We prove that the Hopf dual of sQSym, the ring sNSym of noncommutative symmetric functions in superspace, has a multiplicative basis dual to the monomial quasisymmetric…
We prove that a certain binary linear code associated with the incidence matrix of a quasi-symmetric 2-(37,9,8) design with intersection numbers 1 and 3 must be contained in an extremal doubly even self-dual code of length 40. Using the classification of extremal doubly even self-dual codes of length 40, we show that a quasi-symmetric 2-(37,9,8) design with intersection numbers 1 and 3 does not exist.
This article serves as an introduction to several recent developments in the study of quasisymmetric functions. The focus of this survey is on connections between quasisymmetric functions and the combinatorial Hopf algebra of noncommutative symmetric functions, appearances of quasisymmetric functions within the theory of Macdonald polynomials, and analogues of symmetric functions. Topics include the significance of quasisymmetric functions in representation theory (such as representations of the 0-Hecke algebra), recently discovered bases (including analogues of well-studied symmetric function…
The ring of cyclic quasi-symmetric functions and its non-Escher subring are introduced in this paper. A natural basis consists of fundamental cyclic quasi-symmetric functions; for the non-Escher subring they arise as toric $P$-partition enumerators, for toric posets $P$ with a total cyclic order. The associated structure constants are determined by cyclic shuffles of permutations. We then prove the following positivity phenomenon: for every non-hook shape $λ$, the coefficients in the expansion of the Schur function $s_λ$ in terms of fundamental cyclic quasi-symmetric functions are nonnegative.…
We show that certain differences of products of $P$-partition generating functions are positive in the basis of fundamental quasi-symmetric functions L_α. This result interpolates between recent Schur positivity and monomial positivity results of the same flavor. We study the case of chains in detail, introducing certain ``cell transfer'' operations on compositions and an interesting related ``L-positivity'' poset. We introduce and study quasi-symmetric functions called ``wave Schur functions'' and use them to establish, in the case of chains, that the difference of products we study is itself…
We give a combinatorial formula for the inverses of the alternating sums of free quasi-symmetric functions of the form F_{ω(I)} where I runs over compositions with parts in a prescribed set C. This proves in particular three special cases (no restriction, even parts, and all parts equal to 2) which were conjectured by B. C. V. Ung in [Proc. FPSAC'98, Toronto].
We prove that every infinite sequence of skew-symmetric or symmetric matrices M_1, M_2, ... over a fixed finite field must have a pair M_i, M_j (i<j) such that M_i is isomorphic to a principal submatrix of the Schur complement of a nonsingular principal submatrix in M_j, if those matrices have bounded rank-width. This generalizes three theorems on well-quasi-ordering of graphs or matroids admitting good tree-like decompositions; (1) Robertson and Seymour's theorem for graphs of bounded tree-width, (2) Geelen, Gerards, and Whittle's theorem for matroids representable over a fixed finite field h…
The classical Littlewood-Richardson rule is a rule for computing coefficients in many areas, and comes in many guises. In this paper we prove two Littlewood-Richardson rules for symmetric skew quasisymmetric Schur functions that are analogous to the famed version of the classical Littlewood-Richardson rule involving Yamanouchi words. Furthermore, both our rules contain this classical Littlewood-Richardson rule as a special case. We then apply our rules to combinatorially classify symmetric skew quasisymmetric Schur functions. This answers affirmatively a conjecture of Bessenrodt, Luoto and van…
We determine the most general form of a smooth function on Young diagrams, that is, a polynomial in the interlacing or multirectangular coordinates whose value depends only on the shape of the diagram. We prove that the algebra of such functions is isomorphic to quasi-symmetric functions, and give a noncommutative analog of this result.
In the 1995 paper entitled "Noncommutative symmetric functions," Gelfand, et. al. defined two noncommutative symmetric function analogues for the power sum basis of the symmetric functions, along with analogues for the elementary and the homogeneous bases. They did not consider the noncommutative symmetric power sum duals in the quasisymmetric functions, which have since been explored only in passing by Derksen and Malvenuto-Reutenauer. These two distinct quasisymmetric power sum bases are the topic of this paper. In contrast to the simplicity of the symmetric power sums, or the other well kno…
In 2004, J-C. Aval, F. Bergeron and N. Bergeron studied the algebra of diagonally quasi-symmetric functions $\operatorname{\mathsf{DQSym}}$ in the ring $\mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x},\mathbf{y}]$ with two sets of variables. They made conjectures on the structure of the quotient $\mathbb{Q}[\mathbf{x},\mathbf{y}]/\langle\operatorname{\mathsf{DQSym}}^+\rangle$, which is a quasi-symmetric analogue of the diagonal harmonic polynomials. In this paper, we construct a Hilbert basis for this quotient when there are infinitely many variables i.e. $\mathbf{x}=x_1,x_2,\dots$ and $\mathbf{y}=y_1,y_2,\dots$. Then …
This paper is concerned with two generalizations of the Hopf algebra of symmetric functions that have more or less recently appeared. The Hopf algebra of noncommutative symmetric functions and its dual, the Hopf algebra of quasisymmetric functions. The focus is on the incredibly rich structure of the Hopf algebra of symmetric functions and the question of which structures and properties have good analogues for the noncommutative symmetric functions and/or the quasisymmetric functions. This paper attempt to survey the ongoing investigations in this topic as dictated by the knowledge and interes…
We introduce the Hopf algebra of quasi-symmetric functions with semigroup exponents generalizing the Hopf algebra QSym of quasi-symmetric functions. As a special case we obtain the Hopf algebra WCQSym of weak composition quasi-symmetric functions, which provides a framework for the study of a question proposed by G.-C.~Rota relating symmetric type functions and Rota-Baxter algebras. We provide the transformation formulas between the weak composition monomial and fundamental quasi-symmetric functions, which extends the corresponding results for quasi-symmetric functions. Moreover, we show that …
The aim of this work is to extend the study of super-coinvariant polynomials, to the case of the generalized symmetric group $G_{n,m}$, defined as the wreath product $C_m\wr§_n$ of the symmetric group by the cyclic group. We define a quasi-symmetrizing action of $G_{n,m}$ on $\Q[x_1,...,x_n]$, analogous to those defined by Hivert in the case of $§_n$. The polynomials invariant under this action are called quasi-invariant, and we define super-coinvariant polynomials as polynomials orthogonal, with respect to a given scalar product, to the quasi-invariant polynomials with no constant term. Our m…
We introduce and study affine analogues of the fixed-point-free (FPF) involution Stanley symmetric functions of Hamaker, Marberg, and Pawlowski. Our methods use the theory of quasiparabolic sets introduced by Rains and Vazirani, and we prove that the subset of FPF-involutions is a quasiparabolic set for the affine symmetric group under conjugation. Using properties of quasiparabolic sets, we prove a transition formula for the affine FPF involution Stanley symmetric functions, analogous to Lascoux and Schützenberger's transition formula for Schubert polynomials. Our results suggest several conj…
Motivated by a question of Rota, this paper studies the relationship between Rota--Baxter algebras and symmetric related functions. The starting point is the fact that the space of quasi-symmetric functions is spanned by monomial quasi-symmetric functions which are indexed by compositions. When composition is replaced by left weak composition (LWC), we obtain the concept of LWC monomial quasi-symmetric functions and the resulting space of LWC quasi-symmetric functions. In line with the question of Rota, the latter is shown to be isomorphic to the free commutative nonunitary Rota--Baxter algebr…
Given an element in a finite-dimensional real vector space, $V$, that is a nonnegative linear combination of basis vectors for some basis $B$, we compute the probability that it is furthermore a nonnegative linear combination of basis vectors for a second basis, $A$. We then apply this general result to combinatorially compute the probability that a symmetric function is Schur-positive (recovering the recent result of Bergeron--Patrias--Reiner), $e$-positive or $h$-positive. Similarly we compute the probability that a quasisymmetric function is quasisymmetric Schur-positive or fundamental-posi…
We weave together a tale of two rings, SYM and QSYM, following one gold thread spun by Richard Stanley. The lesson we learn from this tale is that "Combinatorial objects like to be counted by quasisymmetric functions."
In this paper, we attach several new invariants to connected strongly regular graphs (excepting conference graphs on non-square number of vertices) : one invariant called the discriminant, and a p-adic invariant corresponding to each prime number p. We prove parametric restrictions on quasi-symmetric 2-designs with a given connected block graph $G$ and a given defect (absolute difference of the two intersection numbers) solely in terms of the defect and the parameters of $G$, including these new invariants. This is a natural analogue of Schutzenberger's Theorem and the Shrikhande-Chowla-Ryser …
In his work on P-partitions, Stembridge defined the algebra of peak functions Pi, which is both a subalgebra and a retraction of the algebra of quasi-symmetric functions. We show that Pi is closed under coproduct, and therefore a Hopf algebra, and describe the kernel of the retraction. Billey and Haiman, in their work on Schubert polynomials, also defined a new class of quasi-symmetric functions --- shifted quasi-symmetric functions --- and we show that Pi is strictly contained in the linear span Xi of shifted quasi-symmetric functions. We show that Xi is a coalgebra, and compute the rank of t…
A classical result of Artin states that the ideal generated by symmetric polynomials in $n$ variables is of codimension $n!$. The author, F. Bergeron and N. Bergeron have recently obtained a surprising analogous in the case of quasi-symmetric polynomials. In this case, the ideal is of codimension given by $C_n$, the $n$-th Catalan number. Quasi-symmetric polynomials are the invariants of a certain action of the symmetric group $S_n$ defined by F. Hivert. The aim of this work is to generalize these results to the wreath product $S_n\wr \Z_m$, also known as the generalized symmetric group $G\nm$…
We review the relation between the Hopf algebra QSym of quasi-symmetric functions and the multiple zeta values, and then discuss a commutative diagram involving the Hopf algebra Sym of symmetric functions, the Hopf algebra dual NSym of QSym, and the Hopf algebras of rooted trees and planar rooted trees as defined by Kreimer and Foissy respectively.
A function $f$ from $\mathbb{Z}$ to the symmetric matrices over an arbitrary field $K$ of characteristic $0$ is a $1$-quasihomomorphism if the matrix $f(x+y) - f(x) - f(y)$ has rank at most $1$ for all $x,y \in \mathbb{Z}$. We show that any such $1$-quasihomomorphism has distance at most $2$ from an actual group homomorphism. This gives a positive answer to a special case of a problem posed by Kazhdan and Ziegler.
