We develop general methods to obtain fast (polynomial time) estimates of the cardinality of a combinatorially defined set via solving some randomly generated optimization problems on the set. Geometrically, we estimate the cardinality of a subset of the Boolean cube via the average distance from a point in the cube to the subset. As an application, we present a new randomized polynomial time algorithm which approximates the permanent of a 0-1 matrix by solving a small number of Assignment problems.
Signed Counting on Restricted Partitions and Combinatorial Proofs of Three Identities
College of Mathematics and Statistics & Center for Discrete Mathematics, Chongqing University（重庆大学数学与统计学院与离散数学中心）；College of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing University（重庆大学数学与统计学院）
Solving Combinatorial Counting Problems with Weighted First-Order Model Counting
School of Artificial Intelligence, Jilin University, Changchun, China；State Key Laboratory of Complex \& Critical Software Environment, Beihang University, China；National Research Center for Educational Materials, China；Tengen Intelligence Institute, China；Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
A common theme of enumerative combinatorics is formed by counting functions that are polynomials evaluated at positive integers. In this expository paper, we focus on four families of such counting functions connected to hyperplane arrangements, lattice points in polyhedra, proper colorings of graphs, and $P$-partitions. We will see that in each instance we get interesting information out of a counting function when we evaluate it at a \emph{negative} integer (and so, a priori the counting function does not make sense at this number). Our goals are to convey some of the charm these "alternativ…
The Hurwitz space is a compactification of the space of rational functions of a given degree. We study the intersection of various strata of this space with its boundary. A study of the cohomology ring of the Hurwitz space then allows us to obtain recurrence relations for certain numbers of ramified coverings of a sphere by a sphere with prescribed ramifications. Generating functions for these numbers belong to a very particular subalgebra of the algebra of power series.
Borel's triangle is an array of integers closely related to the classical Catalan numbers. In this paper we study combinatorial statistics counted by Borel's triangle. We present various combinatorial interpretations of Borel's triangle in terms of lattice paths, binary trees, and pattern avoiding permutations and matchings, and derive a functional equation that is useful in analyzing the involved structures.
For families of 4-regular directed circulant graphs with $n$ vertices, we count the number of primitive periodic orbits of length up to at least $n$. The relevant counting techniques are then extended to count the number of primitive pseudo orbits (sets of distinct primitive periodic orbits) of length up to at least $n$ that lack self-intersections, or that self-intersect only at individual vertices repeated exactly twice (2-encounters of length zero), for two particular families of 4-regular directed circulant graphs. We then regard these two families of graphs as families of quantum graphs a…
In this paper we present a method for producing asymptotic estimates for the number of integers in a given S having only ``small'' prime factors. The conditions that need to be verified are simpler than those required by other methods, and we apply our result to give an easy proof of a result which says that dense subsets A and B of {1,2,...,x} always produce asymptotically the expected number of x^r - smooth sums a+b, where a in A and b in B. Recall that a number n is said to be y-smooth if all its prime divisors are at most y.
Given a combinatorial decomposition for a counting problem, we resort to the simple scheme of approximating large numbers by floating-point representations in order to obtain efficient Fully Polynomial Time Approximation Schemes (FPTASes) for it. The number of bits employed for the exponent and the mantissa will depend on the error parameter $0 < \varepsilon \leq 1$ and on the characteristics of the problem. Accordingly, we propose the first FPTASes with $1 \pm \varepsilon$ relative error for counting and generating uniformly at random a labeled DAG with a given number of vertices. This is acc…
Eight combinatorial identities are listed and proved by counting paths in the one-dimensional random walk. Four of these identities are assumed to be new.
We establish three identities involving Dyck paths and alternating Motzkin paths, whose proofs are based on variants of the same bijection. We interpret these identities in terms of closed random walks on the halfline. We explain how these identities arise from combinatorial interpretations of certain properties of the $β$-Hermite and $β$-Laguerre ensembles of random matrix theory. We conclude by presenting two other identities obtained in the same way, for which finding combinatorial proofs is an open problem.
In 2003, Maroti showed that one could use the machinery of l-cores and l-quotients of partitions to establish lower bounds for p(n), the number of partitions of n. In this paper we explore these ideas in the case l=2, using them to give a largely combinatorial proof of an effective upper bound on p(n), and to prove asymptotic formulae for the number of self-conjugate partitions, and the number of partitions with distinct parts. In a further application we give a combinatorial proof of an identity originally due to Gauss.
We construct a combinatorial function F which computes the number of oriented Hamiltonian paths of any given type, in a transitive tournament. We also study many properties of F that arise, and reach some observations.
A tanglegram is a pair of binary trees with the same set of leaves. Unlabeled tanglegrams were counted recently by Billey, Konvalinka, and Matsen, who also proposed the problem of counting several variations of unlabeled tanglegrams (unordered and unrooted tanglegrams). We use the theory of combinatorial species to solve these problems.
In this paper we asymptotically count $d$-regular $k$-uniform hypergraphs on $n$ vertices, provided $k$ is fixed and $d=d(n)=o(n^{1/2})$. In doing so, we extend to hypergraphs a switching technique of McKay and Wormald.
Motivated by questions of Mulmuley and Stanley we investigate quasi-polynomials arising in formulas for plethysm. We demonstrate, on the examples of $S^3(S^k)$ and $S^k(S^3)$, that these need not be counting functions of inhomogeneous polytopes of dimension equal to the degree of the quasi-polynomial. It follows that these functions are not, in general, counting functions of lattice points in any scaled convex bodies, even when restricted to single rays. Our results also apply to special rectangular Kronecker coefficients.
Combinatorial enumeration leads to counting generating functions presenting a wide variety of analytic types. Properties of generating functions at singularities encode valuable information regarding asymptotic counting and limit probability distributions present in large random structures. ``Singularity analysis'' reviewed here provides constructive estimates that are applicable in several areas of combinatorics. It constitutes a complex-analytic Tauberian procedure by which combinatorial constructions and asymptotic--probabilistic laws can be systematically related.
We give a fully polynomial-time randomised approximation scheme (FPRAS) for the number of bases in a bicircular matroids. This is a natural class of matroids for which counting bases exactly is #P-hard and yet approximate counting can be done efficiently.
We give estimates on the number of combinatorial designs, which prove (and generalise) a conjecture of Wilson from 1974 on the number of Steiner Triple Systems. This paper also serves as an expository treatment of our recently developed method of Randomised Algebraic Construction: we give a simpler proof of a special case of our result on clique decompositions of hypergraphs, namely triangle decompositions of quasirandom graphs.
Set partitions and permutations with restrictions on the size of the blocks and cycles are important combinatorial sequences. Counting these objects lead to the sequences generalizing the classical Stirling and Bell numbers. The main focus of the present article is the analysis of combinatorial and arithmetical properties of them. The results include several combinatorial identities and recurrences as well as some properties of their $p$-adic valuations.
We recover the Tutte polynomial of a matroid, up to change of coordinates, from an Ehrhart-style polynomial counting lattice points in the Minkowski sum of its base polytope and scalings of simplices. Our polynomial has coefficients of alternating sign with a combinatorial interpretation closely tied to the Dawson partition. Our definition extends in a straightforward way to polymatroids, and in this setting our polynomial has Kálmán's internal and external activity polynomials as its univariate specialisations.
We continue our study on counting irreducible polynomials over a finite field with prescribed coefficients. We set up a general combinatorial framework using generating functions with coefficients from a group algebra which is generated by equivalent classes of polynomials with prescribed coefficients. Simplified expressions are derived for some special cases. Our results extend some earlier results.
We study the combinatorial geometry of "lattice" Jenkins--Strebel differentials with simple zeroes and simple poles on $\mathbb{C}P^1$ and of the corresponding counting functions. Developing the results of M. Kontsevich we evaluate the leading term of the symmetric polynomial counting the number of such "lattice" Jenkins-Strebel differentials having all zeroes on a single singular layer. This allows us to express the number of general "lattice" Jenkins-Strebel differentials as an appropriate weighted sum over decorated trees. The problem of counting Jenkins-Strebel differentials is equivalent …
Enumerating Pattern-Avoiding Involutions using Combinatorial Exploration
School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Keele University（基尔大学计算机科学与数学学院）；School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne（墨尔本大学数学与统计学院）；Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Marquette University（马凯特大学数学与统计科学系）
We present a combinatorial characterization of the Bethe entropy function of a factor graph, such a characterization being in contrast to the original, analytical, definition of this function. We achieve this combinatorial characterization by counting valid configurations in finite graph covers of the factor graph. Analogously, we give a combinatorial characterization of the Bethe partition function, whose original definition was also of an analytical nature. As we point out, our approach has similarities to the replica method, but also stark differences. The above findings are a natural backd…
We provide precise asymptotic estimates for the number of general phylogenetic networks by using analytic combinatorial methods. Recently, this approach is studied by Fuchs, Gittenberger, and the author himself (Australasian Journal of Combinatorics 73(2):385-423, 2019), to count networks with few reticulation vertices for two subclasses: tree-child and normal networks. We follow this line of research to show how to obtain results on the enumeration of general phylogenetic networks.
We examine the computational complexity of approximately counting the list H-colourings of a graph. We discover a natural graph-theoretic trichotomy based on the structure of the graph H. If H is an irreflexive bipartite graph or a reflexive complete graph then counting list H-colourings is trivially in polynomial time. Otherwise, if H is an irreflexive bipartite permutation graph or a reflexive proper interval graph then approximately counting list H-colourings is equivalent to #BIS, the problem of approximately counting independent sets in a bipartite graph. This is a well-studied problem wh…
We provide a short combinatorial proof of Cayley's formula by means of a bijective map to an outcome space of an urn-drawing problem. Furthermore we introduce an algebraic structure on the set of labeled trees, which provides a more standard approach to Cayley's formula. Moreover, this algebraic structure sheds light on the problem of counting the unlabeled trees. In particular, it indicates how counting the number of unlabeled trees on $n$ vertices is connected to finding the number of partitions of $n-2$
We present a randomized algorithm for generating standard set-valued tableaux by extending the Green-Nijenhuis-Wilf hook walk algorithm. In the case of asymptotically rank two partitions, we use this algorithm to give a fully polynomial almost uniform sampler (FPAUS) for standard set-valued tableaux. This FPAUS is then used to construct a fully polynomial randomized approximation scheme (FPRAS) for counting the number of standard set-valued tableaux for such shapes. We also construct a FPAUS and FPRAS for standard set-valued tableaux when either the size of the partition or the difference betw…
Several combinatorial problems of (quasi-)crystallography are reviewed with special emphasis on a unified approach, valid for both crystals and quasicrystals. In particular, we consider planar sublattices, similarity sublattices, coincidence sublattices, their module counterparts, and central and averaged shelling. The corresponding counting functions are encapsulated in Dirichlet series generating functions, with explicit results for the triangular lattice and the twelvefold symmetric shield tiling. Other combinatorial properties are briefly summarised.
We find an explicit combinatorial interpretation of the coefficients of Kerov character polynomials which express the value of normalized irreducible characters of the symmetric groups S(n) in terms of free cumulants R_2,R_3,... of the corresponding Young diagram. Our interpretation is based on counting certain factorizations of a given permutation.
We give a bijection between the set of self-conjugate partitions and that of ordinary partitions. Also, we show the relation between hook lengths of self conjugate partition and corresponding partition via the bijection. As a corollary, we give new combinatorial interpretations for the Catalan number and the Motzkin number in terms of self-conjugate simultaneous core partitions.
Counting the number of permutations of a given total displacement is equivalent to counting weighted Motzkin paths of a given area (Guay-Paquet and Petersen, 2014). The former combinatorial problem is still open. In this work, we show that this connection allows to construct efficient algorithms for counting and for sampling such permutations. These algorithms provide a tool to better understand the original combinatorial problem. A by-product of our approach is a different way of counting based on certain building sequences for Motzkin paths, which may be of independent interest.
We discuss relations between quantum BPS invariants defined in terms of a product decomposition of certain series, and difference equations (quantum A-polynomials) that annihilate such series. We construct combinatorial models whose structure is encoded in the form of such difference equations, and whose generating functions (Hilbert-Poincaré series) are solutions to those equations and reproduce generating series that encode BPS invariants. Furthermore, BPS invariants in question are expressed in terms of Lyndon words in an appropriate language, thereby relating counting of BPS states to the …
The maximal number of totally mixed Nash equilibria in games of several players equals the number of block derangements, as proved by McKelvey and McLennan.On the other hand, counting the derangements is a well studied problem. The numbers are identified as linearization coefficients for Laguerre polynomials. MacMahon derived a generating function for them as an application of his master theorem. This article relates the algebraic, combinatorial and game-theoretic problems that were not connected before. New recurrence relations, hypergeometric formulas and asymptotics for the derangement coun…
We discuss counting problems linked to finite versions of Cantor's diagonal of infinite tableaux. We extend previous results of [2] by refining an equivalence relation that reduces significantly the exhaustive generation. New enumerative results follow and allow to look at the sub-class of the so- called bi-Cantorian tableaux. We conclude with a correspondence between Cantorian-type tableaux and coloring of hypergraphs having a square number of vertices.
In recent decades, phylogenetic networks have become a standard tool in modeling evolutionary processes. Nevertheless, basic combinatorial questions about them are still largely open. For instance, even the asymptotic counting problem for the class of phylogenetic networks and subclasses is unsolved. In this paper, we propose a method based on generating functions to count networks with few reticulation vertices for two subclasses which are important in applications: tree-child networks and normal networks. In particular, our method can be used to completely solve the asymptotic counting probl…
We introduce new combinatorial objects, the interval- posets, that encode intervals of the Tamari lattice. We then find a combinatorial interpretation of the bilinear operator that appears in the functional equation of Tamari intervals described by Chapoton. Thus, we retrieve this functional equation and prove that the polynomial recursively computed from the bilinear operator on each tree T counts the number of trees smaller than T in the Tamari order. Then we show that a similar m + 1-linear operator is also used in the functionnal equation of m-Tamari intervals. We explain how the m-Tamari …
We design a fully polynomial time approximation scheme (FPTAS) for counting the number of matchings (packings) in arbitrary 3-uniform hypergraphs of maximum degree three, referred to as $(3,3)$-hypergraphs. It is the first polynomial time approximation scheme for that problem, which includes also, as a special case, the 3D Matching counting problem for 3-partite $(3,3)$-hypergraphs. The proof technique of this paper uses the general correlation decay technique and a new combinatorial analysis of the underlying structures of the intersection graphs. The proof method could be also of independent…
We consider the problem of enumeration of planar maps and revisit its one-matrix model solution in the light of recent combinatorial techniques involving conjugated trees. We adapt and generalize these techniques so as to give an alternative and purely combinatorial solution to the problem of counting arbitrary planar maps with prescribed vertex degrees.
Using combinatorial techniques, we answer two questions about simple classical Lie groups. Define $N(G,m)$ to be the number of conjugacy classes of elements of finite order $m$ in a Lie group $G$, and $N(G,m,s)$ to be the number of such classes whose elements have $s$ distinct eigenvalues or conjugate pairs of eigenvalues. What is $N(G,m)$ for $G$ a unitary, orthogonal, or symplectic group? What is $N(G,m,s)$ for these groups? For some cases, the first question was answered a few decades ago via group-theoretic techniques. It appears that the second question has not been asked before; here it …
Using a combinatorial bijection with certain abaci diagrams, Nath and Sellers have enumerated $(s, m s \pm 1)$-core partitions into distinct parts. We generalize their result in several directions by including the number of parts of these partitions, by considering $d$-distinct partitions, and by allowing more general $(s, m s \pm r)$-core partitions. As an application of our approach, we obtain the average and maximum number of parts of these core partitions.
We present counting methods for some special classes of multivariate polynomials over a finite field, namely the reducible ones, the s-powerful ones (divisible by the s-th power of a nonconstant polynomial), and the relatively irreducible ones (irreducible but reducible over an extension field). One approach employs generating functions, another one uses a combinatorial method. They yield exact formulas and approximations with relative errors that essentially decrease exponentially in the input size.
This is a continuation of our combinatorial program on the enumeration of Borel orbits in symmetric varieties of classical types. Here, we determine the generating series the numbers of Borel orbits in $\mathbf{SO}_{2n+1}/\mathbf{S(O}_{2p}\times \mathbf{O}_{2q+1}\mathbf{)}$ (type $BI$) and in $\mathbf{Sp}_n/\mathbf{Sp}_p\times \mathbf{Sp}_q$ (type $CII$). In addition, we explore relations to lattice path enumeration.
We study the problem of counting the total number of affine solutions of a system of n binomials in n variables over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. We show that we may decide in polynomial time if that number is finite. We give a combinatorial formula for computing the total number of affine solutions (with or without multiplicity) from which we deduce that this counting problem is #P-complete. We discuss special cases in which this formula may be computed in polynomial time; in particular, this is true for generic exponent vectors.
Shifted combinatorial optimization is a new nonlinear optimization framework, which is a broad extension of standard combinatorial optimization, involving the choice of several feasible solutions at a time. It captures well studied and diverse problems ranging from congestive to partitioning problems. In particular, every standard combinatorial optimization problem has its shifted counterpart, which is typically much harder. Here we initiate a study of approximation algorithms for this broad optimization framework.
