In this paper, we present some criteria for the $2$-$q$-log-convexity and $3$-$q$-log-convexity of combinatorial sequences, which can be regarded as the first column of certain infinite triangular array $[A_{n,k}(q)]_{n,k\geq0}$ of polynomials in $q$ with nonnegative coefficients satisfying the recurrence relation $$A_{n,k}(q)=A_{n-1,k-1}(q)+g_k(q)A_{n-1,k}(q)+h_{k+1}(q)A_{n-1,k+1}(q).$$ Those criterions can also be presented by continued fractions and generating functions. These allow a unified treatment of the $2$-$q$-log-convexity of alternating Eulerian polynomials, $2$-log-convexity of Euler numbers, and $3$-$q$-log-convexity of many classical polynomials, including the Bell polynomials, the Eulerian polynomials of Types $A$ and $B$, the $q$-Schröder numbers, $q$-central Delannoy numbers, the Narayana polynomials of Types $A$ and $B$, the generating functions of rows in the Catalan triangles of Aigner and Shapiro, the generating functions of rows in the large Schröder triangle, and so on, which extend many known results for $q$-log-convexity.
Gamma-positivity appears frequently in finite geometries, combinatorics and number theory. Motivated by the recent work of Sagan and Tirrell (Adv. Math., 374 (2020), 107387), we study the relationships between gamma-positivity and alternating gamma-positivity. As applications, we derive several alternatingly gamma-positive polynomials related to Narayana polynomials and Eulerian polynomials. In particular, we show the alternating gamma-positivity and Hurwitz stability of a combination of the modified Narayana polynomials of types A and B. By using colored $2\times n$ Young diagrams, we present…
This paper is concerned with multivariate refinements of the gamma-positivity of Eulerian polynomials by using the succession and fixed point statistics. Properties of the enumerative polynomials for permutations, signed permutations and derangements, including generating functions and gamma-positivity are studied, which generalize and unify earlier results of Athanasiadis, Brenti, Chow, Petersen, Roselle, Stembridge, Shin and Zeng. In particular, we derive a formula expressing the joint distribution of excedance number and negative number statistics over the type B derangements in terms of th…
We define some generalizations of the classical descent and inversion statistics on signed permutations that arise from the work of Sack and Ulfarsson [20] and called after width-k descents and width-k inversionsof type A in Davis's work [8]. Using the aforementioned new statistics, we derive some new generalizations of Eulerian polynomials of type A, B and D. It should also be noticed that we establish the Gamma-positivity of the "width-k" Eulerian polynomials and we give a combinatorial interpretation of finite sequences associated to these new polynomials using quasisymmetric functions and …
A lattice polytope $\mathcal{P} \subset \mathbb{R}^d$ is called a locally anti-blocking polytope if for any closed orthant $\mathbb{R}^d_{\varepsilon}$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$, $\mathcal{P} \cap \mathbb{R}^d_{\varepsilon}$ is unimodularly equivalent to an anti-blocking polytope by reflections of coordinate hyperplanes. In the present paper, we give a formula for the $h^*$-polynomials of locally anti-blocking lattice polytopes. In particular, we discuss the $γ$-positivity of the $h^*$-polynomials of locally anti-blocking reflexive polytopes.
Ma-Ma-Yeh made a beautiful observation that a transformation of the grammar of Dumont instantly leads to the $γ$-positivity of the Eulerian polynomials. We notice that the transformed grammar bears a striking resemblance to the grammar for 0-1-2 increasing trees also due to Dumont. The appearance of the factor of two fits perfectly in a grammatical labeling of 0-1-2 increasing plane trees. Furthermore, the grammatical calculus is instrumental to the computation of the generating functions. This approach can be adapted to study the $e$-positivity of the trivariate second-order Eulerian polynomi…
The Hankel matrix of type B Narayana polynomials was proved to be totally positive by Wang and Zhu, and independently by Sokal. Pan and Zeng raised the problem of giving a planar network proof of this result. In this paper, we present such a proof by constructing a planar network allowing negative weights, applying the Lindström-Gessel-Viennot lemma and establishing an involution on the set of nonintersecting families of directed paths.
In this paper we give some sufficient conditions for the nonnegativity of immanants of square submatrices of Catalan-Stieltjes matrices and their corresponding Hankel matrices. To obtain these sufficient conditions, we construct new planar networks with a recursive nature for Catalan-Stieltjes matrices. As applications, we provide a unified way to produce inequalities for many combinatorial polynomials, such as the Eulerian polynomials, Schröder polynomials and Narayana polynomials.
We prove that the enumerative polynomials of quasi-Stirling permutations of multisets with respect to the statistics of plateaux, descents and ascents are partial $γ$-positive, thereby confirming a recent conjecture posed by Lin, Ma and Zhang. This is accomplished by proving the partial $γ$-positivity of the enumerative polynomials of certain ordered labeled trees, which are in bijection with quasi-Stirling permutations of multisets. As an application, we provide an alternative proof of the partial $γ$-positivity of the enumerative polynomials on Stirling permutations of multisets.
Log-concavity and almost log-convexity of the cycle index polynomials were proved by Bender and Canfield [J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 74 (1996)]. Schirmacher [J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 85 (1999)] extended them to $q$-log-concavity and almost $q$-log-convexity. Motivated by these, we consider the stronger properties total positivity from the Toeplitz matrix and Hankel matrix. By using exponential Riordan array methods, we give some criteria for total positivity of the triangular matrix of coefficients of the generalized cycle index polynomials, the Toeplitz matrix and Hankel matrix of the polynomia…
We prove a positivity result for interpolation polynomials that was conjectured by Knop and Sahi. These polynomials were first introduced by Sahi in the context of the Capelli eigenvalue problem for Jordan algebras, and were later shown to be related to Jack polynomials by Knop-Sahi and Okounkov-Olshanski. The positivity result proved here is an inhomogeneous generalization of Macdonald's positivity conjecture for Jack polynomials. We also formulate and prove the non-symmetric version of the Knop-Sahi conjecture, and in fact we deduce everything from an even stronger positivity result. This la…
We consider matrices with entries that are polynomials in $q$ arising from natural $q$-generalisations of two well-known formulas that count: forests on $n$ vertices with $k$ components; and trees on $n+1$ vertices where $k$ children of the root are smaller than the root. We give a combinatorial interpretation of the corresponding statistic on forests and trees and show, via the construction of various planar networks and the Lindström-Gessel-Viennot lemma, that these matrices are coefficientwise totally positive. We also exhibit generalisations of the entries of these matrices to polynomials …
The object of this paper is to give a systematic treatment of excedance-type polynomials. We first give a sufficient condition for a sequence of polynomials to have alternatingly increasing property, and then we present a systematic study of the joint distribution of excedances, fixed points and cycles of permutations and derangements, signed or not, colored or not. Let $p\in [0,1]$ and $q\in [0,1]$ be two given real numbers. We prove that the cyc q-Eulerian polynomials of permutations are bi-gamma-positive, and the fix and cyc (p,q)-Eulerian polynomials of permutations are alternatingly incre…
Pondering upon the grammatical labeling of 0-1-2 increasing plane trees, we come to the realization that the grammatical labels play a role as records of chopped off leaves of the original increasing binary trees. While such an understanding is purely psychological, it does give rise to an efficient apparatus to tackle the partial $γ$-positivity of the Eulearian polynomials on multiset Stirling permutations, as long as we bear in mind the combinatorial meanings of the labels $x$ and $y$ in the Gessel representation of a $k$-Stirling permutation by means of an increasing $(k+1)$-ary tree. More …
Lattice paths and branched continued fractions: An infinite sequence of generalizations of the Stieltjes--Rogers and Thron--Rogers polynomials, with coefficientwise Hankel-total positivity
