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 of colored parking functions, colored non-crossing partitions and parking functions of type B.
We investigate the $α$-colored Eulerian polynomials and a notion of descents introduced in a recent paper of Hedmark and show that such polynomials can be computed as a polynomial encoding descents computed over a quotient of the wreath product $\mathbb{Z}_α\wr\mathfrak{S}_n$. Moreover, we consider the flag descent statistic computed over this same quotient and find that the flag Eulerian polynomial remains palindromic. We prove that the flag descent polynomial is palindromic over this same quotient by giving a combinatorial proof that the flag descent statistic is symmetrically distributed ov…
We propose an analogue of Solomon's descent theory for the case of a wreath product G ~ S_n, where G is a finite abelian group. Our construction mixes a number of ingredients: Mantaci-Reutenauer algebras, Specht's theory for the representations of wreath products, Okada's extension to wreath products of the Robinson-Schensted correspondence, Poirier's quasisymmetric functions. We insist on the functorial aspect of our definitions and explain the relation of our results with previous work concerning the hyperoctaedral group.
We generalize two bijections due to Garsia and Gessel to compute the generating functions of the two vector statistics $(\des_G, \maj,\ell_G, \col)$ and $(\des_G, \ides_G, \maj, \imaj, \col, \icol)$ over the wreath product of a symmetric group by a cyclic group. Here $\des_G$, $\ell_G$, $\maj$, $\col$, $\ides_G$, $\imaj_G$, and $\icol$ denote the number of descents, length, major index, color weight, inverse descents, inverse major index, and inverse color weight, respectively. Our main formulas generalize and unify several known identities due to Brenti, Carlitz, Chow-Gessel, Garsia-Gessel, a…
There is a well-known combinatorial definition, based on ordered set partitions, of the semigroup of faces of the braid arrangement. We generalize this definition to obtain a semigroup Sigma_n^G associated with G wr S_n, the wreath product of the symmetric group S_n with an arbitrary group G. Techniques of Bidigare and Brown are adapted to construct an anti-homomorphism from the S_n-invariant subalgebra of the semigroup algebra of Sigma_n^G into the group algebra of G wr S_n. The generalized descent algebras of Mantaci and Reutenauer are obtained as homomorphic images when G is abelian.
Various statistics on wreath products are defined via canonical words, "colored" right to left minima and "colored" descents. It is shown that refined counts with respect to these statistics have nice recurrence formulas of binomial-Stirling type. These extended Stirling numbers determine (via matrix inversion) dual systems, which are also shown to have combinatorial realizations within the wreath product. The above setting also gives rise to MacMahon type equi-distribution theorem over subsets with prescribed statistics.
The coefficients of the local $h$-polynomial of the barycentric subdivision of the simplex with $n$ vertices are known to count derangements in the symmetric group $\mathfrak{S}_n$ by the number of excedances. A generalization of this interpretation is given for the local $h$-polynomial of the $r$th edgewise subdivision of the barycentric subdivision of the simplex. This polynomial is shown to be $γ$-nonnegative and a combinatorial interpretation to the corresponding $γ$-coefficients is provided. The new combinatorial interpretations involve the notions of flag excedance and descent in the wre…
We study the complex reflection groups G(r,p,n). By considering these groups as subgroups of the wreath products Z_r wr S_n, and by using Clifford theory, we define combinatorial parameters and descent representations of G(r,p,n), previously known for classical Weyl groups. One of these parameters is the flag major index, which also has an important role in the decomposition of these representations into irreducibles. A Carlitz type identity relating the combinatorial parameters with the degrees of the group, is presented.
Descents in permutations or words are defined from the relative position of two consecutive letters. We investigate a statistic involving patterns of k consecutive letters, and show that it leads to Hopf algebras generalizing noncommutative symmetric functions and quasi-symmetric functions.
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 $B$.
The number of alternating runs is a natural permutation statistic. We show it can be used to define some commutative subalgebras of the symmetric group algebra, and more precisely of the descent algebra. The Eulerian peak algebras naturally appear as subalgebras of our run algebras. We also calculate the orthogonal idempotents for run algebras in terms of noncommutative symmetric functions.
We introduce a new family of noncommutative analogues of the Hall-Littlewood symmetric functions. Our construction relies upon Tevlin's bases and simple q-deformations of the classical combinatorial Hopf algebras. We connect our new Hall-Littlewood functions to permutation tableaux, and also give an exact formula for the q-enumeration of permutation tableaux of a fixed shape. This gives an explicit formula for: the steady state probability of each state in the partially asymmetric exclusion process (PASEP); the polynomial enumerating permutations with a fixed set of weak excedances according t…
We develop the homology theory of the algebra of a regular semigroup, which is a particularly nice case of a quasi-hereditary algebra in good characteristic. Directedness is characterized for these algebras, generalizing the case of semisimple algebras studied by Munn and Ponizovksy. We then apply homological methods to compute (modulo group theory) the quiver of a right regular band of groups, generalizing Saliola's results for a right regular band. Right regular bands of groups come up in the representation theory of wreath products with symmetric groups in much the same way that right regul…
Using the theory of noncommutative symmetric functions, we introduce the higher order peak algebras, a sequence of graded Hopf algebras which contain the descent algebra and the usual peak algebra as initial cases (N = 1 and N = 2). We compute their Hilbert series, introduce and study several combinatorial bases, and establish various algebraic identities related to the multisection of formal power series with noncommutative coefficients.
We find the exponential generating function for permutations with all valleys even and all peaks odd, and use it to determine the asymptotics for its coefficients, answering a question posed by Liviu Nicolaescu. The generating function can be expressed as the reciprocal of a sum involving Euler numbers. We give two proofs of the formula. The first uses a system of differential equations. The second proof derives the generating function directly from general permutation enumeration techniques, using noncommutative symmetric functions. The generating function is an "alternating" analogue of Davi…
We describe a method for constructing characters of combinatorial Hopf algebras by means of integrals over certain polyhedral cones. This is based on ideas from resurgence theory, in particular on the construction of well-behaved averages induced by diffusion processes on the real line. We give several interpretations and proofs of the main result in terms of noncommutative symmetric and quasisymmetric functions, as well as generalizations involving matrix quasi-symmetric functions. The interpretation of noncommutative symmetric functions as alien operators in resurgence theory is also discuss…
Since the early work of Richard Stanley, it has been observed that several permutation statistics have a remarkable property with respect to shuffles of permutations. We formalize this notion of a shuffle-compatible permutation statistic and introduce the shuffle algebra of a shuffle-compatible permutation statistic, which encodes the distribution of the statistic over shuffles of permutations. This paper develops a theory of shuffle-compatibility for descent statistics (statistics that depend only on the descent set and length) which has close connections to the theory of $P$-partitions, quas…
We extend to several combinatorial Hopf algebras the endomorphism of symmetric functions sending the first power-sum to zero and leaving the other ones invariant. As a transformation of alphabets, this is the (1-E)-transform, where E is the exponential alphabet, whose elementary symmetric functions are e_n=1/n!. In the case of noncommutative symmetric functions, we recover Schocker's idempotents for derangement numbers [Discr. Math. 269 (2003), 239]. From these idempotents, we construct subalgebras of the descent algebras analogous to the peak algebras and study their representation theory. Th…
For $G$ a finite abelian group, we study the properties of general equivalence relations on $G_n=G^n\rtimes \SG_n$, the wreath product of $G$ with the symmetric group $\SG_n$, also known as the $G$-coloured symmetric group. We show that under certain conditions, some equivalence relations give rise to subalgebras of $\k G_n$ as well as graded connected Hopf subalgebras of $\bigoplus_{n\ge o} \k G_n$. In particular we construct a $G$-coloured peak subalgebra of the Mantaci-Reutenauer algebra (or $G$-coloured descent algebra). We show that the direct sum of the $G$-coloured peak algebras is a Ho…
The 0-Hecke algebra $H_n(0)$ is a deformation of the group algebra of the symmetric group $\SS_n$. We show that its coinvariant algebra naturally carries the regular representation of $H_n(0)$, giving an analogue of the well-known result for $\SS_n$ by Chevalley-Shephard-Todd. By investigating the action of $H_n(0)$ on coinvariants and flag varieties, we interpret the generating functions counting the permutations with fixed inverse descent set by their inversion number and major index. We also study the action of $H_n(0)$ on the cohomology rings of the Springer fibers, and similarly interpret…
We introduce a graded Hopf algebra based on the set of parking functions (hence of dimension (n+1)^{n-1} in degree n). This algebra can be embedded into a noncommutative polynomial algebra in infinitely many variables. We determine its structure, and show that it admits natural quotients and subalgebras whose graded components have dimensions respectively given by the Schroder numbers (plane trees), the Catalan numbers, and powers of 3. These smaller algebras are always bialgebras and belong to some family of di- or tri-algebras occuring in the works of Loday and Ronco. Moreover, the fundament…