We consider linear error correcting codes associated to higher dimensional projective varieties defined over a finite field. The problem of determining the basic parameters of such codes often leads to some interesting and difficult questions in combinatorics and algebraic geometry. This is illustrated by codes associated to Schubert varieties in Grassmannians, called Schubert codes, which have recently been studied. The basic parameters such as the length, dimension and minimum distance of these codes are known only in special cases. An upper bound for the minimum distance is known and it is conjectured that this bound is achieved. We give explicit formulae for the length and dimension of arbitrary Schubert codes and prove the minimum distance conjecture in the affirmative for codes associated to Schubert divisors.
We explain connections among several, a priori unrelated, areas of mathematics: combinatorics, algebraic statistics, topology and enumerative algebraic geometry. Our focus is on discrete invariants, strongly related to the theory of Lorentzian polynomials. The main concept joining the mentioned fields is a linear space of matrices.
This chapter combines an introduction and research survey about Schubert varieties. The theme is to combinatorially classify their singularities using a family of polynomial ideals generated by determinants.
We study the combinatorics of pseudoline arrangements and their relation to the geometry of flag and Schubert varieties. We associate to each pseudoline arrangement two polyhedral cones, defined in a dual manner. We prove that one of them is the weighted string cone by Littelmann and Berenstein-Zelevinsky. For the other we show how it arises in the framework of cluster varieties and mirror symmetry by Gross-Hacking-Keel-Kontsevich: for the flag variety the cone is the tropicalization of their superpotential while for Schubert varieties a restriction of the superpotential is necessary. We prove…
We survey some general-purpose symbolic software packages that implement algorithms from enumerative and analytic combinatorics. Software for the following areas is covered: basic combinatorial objects, symbolic combinatorics, Pólya theory, combinatorial species, and asymptotics. We describe the capabilities that the packages offer as well as some of the algorithms used, and provide links to original documentation. Most of the packages are freely downloadable from the web.
In this expository article we give an introduction to Ehrhart theory, i.e., the theory of integer points in polyhedra, and take a tour through its applications in enumerative combinatorics. Topics include geometric modeling in combinatorics, Ehrhart's method for proving that a couting function is a polynomial, the connection between polyhedral cones, rational functions and quasisymmetric functions, methods for bounding coefficients, combinatorial reciprocity theorems, algorithms for counting integer points in polyhedra and computing rational function representations, as well as visualizations …
We initiate the study of the enumerative combinatorics of the intervals in the Dyck pattern poset. More specifically, we find some closed formulas to express the size of some specific intervals, as well as the number of their covering relations. In most of the cases, we are also able to refine our formulas by rank. We also provide the first results on the Möbius function of the Dyck pattern poset, giving for instance a closed expression for the Möbius function of initial intervals whose maximum is a Dyck path having exactly two peaks.
How many ways, exactly, can a Chess King, always moving forward (i.e. with steps [1,0],[0,1],[1,1]) walk to [100000,200000]? Thanks to the amazing Apagodu-Zeilberger extension of the Almkvist-Zeilberger algorithm, adapted in this article for combinatorial applications, this 104492-digit number, can be computed in less than 33 seconds. But not just this particular number. Many other numbers that come up in enumerative combinatorics, can be computed just as efficiently
As an application of linear algebra for enumerative combinatorics, we introduce two new ideas, signed bigrassmannian polynomials and bigrassmannian determinant. First, a signed bigrassmannian polynomial is a variant of the statistic given by the number of bigrassmannian permutations below a permutation in Bruhat order as Reading suggested (2002) and afterward the author developed (2011). Second, bigrassmannian determinant is a $q$-analog of the determinant with respect to our statistic. It plays a key role for a determinantal expression of those polynomials. We further show that bigrassmannian…
For a finite Coxeter system and a subset of its diagram nodes, we define spherical elements (a generalization of Coxeter elements). Conjecturally, for Weyl groups, spherical elements index Schubert varieties in a flag manifold G/B that are spherical for the action of a Levi subgroup. We evidence the conjecture, employing the combinatorics of Demazure modules, and work of R. Avdeev-A. Petukhov, M. Can-R. Hodges, R. Hodges-V. Lakshmibai, P. Karuppuchamy, P. Magyar-J. Weyman-A. Zelevinsky, N. Perrin, J. Stembridge, and B. Tenner. In type A, we establish connections with the key polynomials of A. …
Buch and Fulton conjectured the nonnegativity of the quiver coefficients appearing in their formula for a quiver variety. Knutson, Miller and Shimozono proved this conjecture as an immediate consequence of their ``component formula''. We present an alternative proof of the component formula by substituting combinatorics for Grobner degeneration. We relate the component formula to the work of Buch, Kresch, Tamvakis and the author where a ``splitting'' formula for Schubert polynomials in terms of quiver coefficients was obtained. We prove analogues of this latter result for the type BCD-Schubert…
This paper considers three separate matrices associated to graphs and (each dimension of) cell complexes. It relates all the coefficients of their respective characteristic polynomials to the geometric and combinatorial enumeration of three kinds of subobjects. The matrices are: the mesh matrix for integral d-cycles of Trent, the mesh matrix for integral d-boundaries, and the Kirchhoff matrix, i.e., the combinatorial Laplacian, for integral (d-1)-chains. Relations to Reidemeister-Franz torsion are elucidated and relations to the foundational work of R. Lyons and G. Kalai.
We study some combinatorial and algebraic properties of certain quadratic algebras related with dynamical classical and classical Yang-Baxter equations. One can find more details about the content of present paper in Extended Abstract.
In this paper we studied infinite weighted automata and a general methodology to solve a wide variety of classical lattice path counting problems in an uniform way. This counting problems are related to Dyck paths, Motzkin paths and some generalizations. These methodology uses weighted automata, equations of ordinary generating functions and continued fractions. It is a variation of the one proposed by J. Rutten.
This survey paper describes Springer fibers, which are used in one of the earliest examples of a geometric representation. We will compare and contrast them with Schubert varieties, another family of subvarieties of the flag variety that play an important role in representation theory and combinatorics, but whose geometry is in many respects simpler. The end of the paper describes a way that Springer fibers and Schubert varieties are related, as well as open questions.
We study the combinatorics of Gröbner degenerations of Grassmannians and the Schubert varieties inside them. We provide a family of binomial ideals whose combinatorics is governed by tableaux induced by matching fields in the sense of Sturmfels and Zelevinsky. We prove that these ideals are all quadratically generated and they yield a SAGBI basis of the Plücker algebra. This leads to a new family of toric degenerations of Grassmannians. Moreover, we apply our results to construct a family of Gröbner degenerations of Schubert varieties inside Grassmannians. We provide a complete characterizatio…
We give an explicit combinatorial description of cluster structures in Schubert varieties of the Grassmannian in terms of (target labelings of) Postnikov's plabic graphs. This description is a natural generalization of the description given by (Scott 2006) for the Grassmannian and has been believed by experts essentially since (Scott 2006), though the statement was not formally written down until (Müller-Speyer 2016). To prove this conjecture we use a result of (Leclerc 2016), who used the module category of the preprojective algebra to prove that coordinate rings of many Richardson varieties …
We study a multivariate Markov chain on the symmetric group with remarkable enumerative properties. We conjecture that the stationary distribution of this Markov chain can be expressed in terms of positive sums of Schubert polynomials. This Markov chain is a multivariate generalization of a Markov chain introduced by the first author in the study of random affine Weyl group elements.
A useful heuristic in the understanding of large random combinatorial structures is the Arratia-Tavare principle, which describes an approximation to the joint distribution of component-sizes using independent random variables. The principle outlines conditions under which the total variation distance between the true joint distribution and the approximation should be small, and was successfully exploited by Pittel in the cases of integer partitions and set partitions. We provide sufficient conditions for this principle to be true in a general context, valid for certain discrete probability di…
We characterize by pattern avoidance the Schubert varieties for GL_n which are local complete intersections (lci). For those Schubert varieties which are local complete intersections, we give an explicit minimal set of equations cutting out their neighborhoods at the identity. Although the statement of our characterization only requires ordinary pattern avoidance, showing that the Schubert varieties not satisfying our conditions are not lci appears to require working with more general notions of pattern avoidance. The Schubert varieties defined by inclusions, originally introduced by Gasharov …
In this expository paper we describe a powerful combinatorial formula and its implications in geometry, topology, and algebra. This formula first appeared in the appendix of a book by Andersen, Jantzen, and Soergel. Sara Billey discovered it independently five years later, and it played a prominent role in her work to evaluate certain polynomials closely related to Schubert polynomials. Billey's formula relates many pieces of Schubert calculus: the geometry of Schubert varieties, the action of the torus on the flag variety, combinatorial data about permutations, the cohomology of the flag vari…
In this paper, we justify by the use of Enumerative Combinatorics, that the results obtained in \cite{Alarcon1}, where is analysed the complex dynamics of an epidemic model to identify the nodes that contribute the most to the propagation process and because of that are good candidates to be controlled in the network in order to stabilize the network to reach the extinction state, is applicable in almost all the cases. The model analysed was proposed in \cite{Gomez1} %et al. [Phys.Rev.E 84, 036105(2011)] and results obtained in \cite{Alarcon1} implies that it is not necessary to control all no…
We will try to sketch Professor F. Y. Wu's contributions in lattice statistical mechanics, solid state physics, graph theory, enumerative combinatorics and so many other domains of physics and mathematics. We will recall F. Y. Wu's most important and well-known classic results and we will also sketch his most recent researches dedicated to the connections of lattice statistical mechanical models with deep problems in pure mathematics. Since it is hard to provide an exhaustive list of all his contributions, to give some representation of F. Y. Wu's "mental connectivity" we will concentrate on t…
Let $B$ be a Borel subgroup of $\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb{C})$ and $\mathbb{T}$ a maximal torus contained in $B$. Then $\mathbb{T}$ acts on $\mathrm{GL}_{n}(\mathbb{C})/B$ and every Schubert variety is $\mathbb{T}$-invariant. We say that a Schubert variety is of complexity $k$ if a maximal $\mathbb{T}$-orbit in $X_w$ has codimension $k$. In this paper, we discuss topology, geometry, and combinatorics related to Schubert varieties of complexity one.
Using polynomial equations to model combinatorial problems has been a popular tool both in computational combinatorics as well as an approach to proving new theorems. In this paper, we look at several combinatorics problems modeled by systems of polynomial equations satisfying special properties. If the equations are infeasible, Hilbert's Nullstellensatz gives a certificate of this fact. These certificates have been studied and exhibit combinatorial meaning. In this paper, we generalize some known results and show that the Nullstellensatz certificate can be viewed as enumerating combinatorial …
We introduce a general class of regular weight functions on finite abelian groups, and study the combinatorics, the duality theory, and the metric properties of codes endowed with such functions. The weights are obtained by composing a suitable support map with the rank function of a graded lattice satisfying certain regularity properties. A regular weight on a group canonically induces a regular weight on the character group, and invertible MacWilliams identities always hold for such a pair of weights. Moreover, the Krawtchouk coefficients of the corresponding MacWilliams transformation have …
Regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties are a family of subvarieties of the flag variety that arise in number theory, numerical analysis, representation theory, algebraic geometry, and combinatorics. We give a "Giambelli formula" expressing the classes of regular semisimple Hessenberg varieties in terms of Chern classes. In fact, we show that the cohomology class of each regular semisimple Hessenberg variety is the specialization of a certain double Schubert polynomial, giving a natural geometric interpretation to such specializations. We also decompose such classes in terms of the Schubert ba…
Peterson varieties are special nilpotent Hessenberg varieties that have appeared in the study of quantum cohomology, representation theory, and combinatorics. In type $A$, the Peterson variety $Y$ is a subvariety of the complete flag variety $Fl(n; \mathbb C)$, and is invariant under the action of a subgroup $S\cong \mathbb C^*$ of $T$, where $T$ is the standard (noncompact) torus acting on $Fl(n; \mathbb C)$. Using the Peterson Schubert basis introduced by Harada and Tymoczko obtained by restricting a specific set of Schubert classes from $H_T^*(Fl(n; \mathbb C))$ to $H_S^*(Y)$, we describe t…
We study the Steinberg variety associated to matrix Schubert varieties, and develop a Robinson-Schensted type correspondence, $τ\leftrightarrow(Λ,\mathsf Q,\mathsf P)$. Here $τ$ is a partial permutation of size $p\times q$, $Λ$ an admissible signed Young diagram of size $p+q$, and $\mathsf P$ (resp. $\mathsf Q$) a standard Young tableau of size $p$ (resp. $q$) whose shape is determined by $Λ$. By embedding the matrix Schubert variety into a Schubert variety, we find a close relationship between the combinatorics of the classical Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence and our bijection. We als…
We continue the study of the nonkissing complex that was introduced by Petersen, Pylyavskyy, and Speyer and was studied lattice-theoretically by the second author. We introduce a theory of Grid-Catalan combinatorics, given the initial data of a nonkissing complex, and show how this theory parallels the well-known Coxeter-Catalan combinatorics. In particular, we present analogues of Chapoton's F-triangle, H-triangle, and M-triangle and give combinatorial, lattice-theoretic, and geometric interpretations of the objects defining these. In our Grid-Catalan setting, we prove that Chapoton's F-trian…
The centre of the symmetric group algebra $\mathbb{C}[\mathfrak{S}_n]$ has been used successfully for studying important problems in enumerative combinatorics. These include maps in orientable surfaces and ramified covers of the sphere by curves of genus $g$, for example. However, the combinatorics of some equally important $\mathfrak{S}_n$-factorization problems forces $k$ elements in $\{1,...,n\}$ to be distinguished. Examples of such problems include the star factorization problem, for which $k=1,$ and the enumeration of 2-cell embeddings of dipoles with two distinguished edges \cite{Visent…
Knutson and Miller (2005) established a connection between the anti-diagonal Gröbner degenerations of matrix Schubert varieties and the pre-existing combinatorics of pipe dreams. They used this correspondence to give a geometrically-natural explanation for the appearance of the combinatorially-defined Schubert polynomials as representatives of Schubert classes. Recently, Hamaker, Pechenik, and Weigandt (2022) proposed a similar connection between diagonal degenerations of matrix Schubert varieties and bumpless pipe dreams, newer combinatorial objects introduced by Lam, Lee, and Shimozono (2021…
Using a blend of combinatorics and geometry, we give an algorithm for algebraically finding all flags in any zero-dimensional intersection of Schubert varieties with respect to three transverse flags, and more generally, any number of flags. In particular, the number of flags in a triple intersection is also a structure constant for the cohomology ring of the flag manifold. Our algorithm is based on solving a limited number of determinantal equations for each intersection (far fewer than the naive approach). These equations may be used to compute Galois and monodromy groups of intersections of…
We study Gröbner degenerations of Schubert varieties inside flag varieties. We consider toric degenerations of flag varieties induced by matching fields and semi-standard Young tableaux. We describe an analogue of matching field ideals for Schubert varieties inside the flag variety and give a complete characterization of toric ideals among them. We use a combinatorial approach to standard monomial theory to show that block diagonal matching fields give rise to toric degenerations. Our methods and results use the combinatorics of permutations associated to Schubert varieties, matching fields an…
Every generic linear functional $f$ on a convex polytope $P$ induces an orientation on the graph of $P$. From the resulting directed graph one can define a notion of $f$-arborescence and $f$-monotone path on $P$, as well as a natural graph structure on the vertex set of $f$-monotone paths. These concepts are important in geometric combinatorics and optimization. This paper bounds the number of $f$-arborescences, the number of $f$-monotone paths, and the diameter of the graph of $f$-monotone paths for polytopes $P$ in terms of their dimension and number of vertices or facets.
We discuss three distinct topics of independent interest; one in enumerative combinatorics, one in symmetric function theory, and one in algebraic geometry. The topic in enumerative combinatorics concerns a q-analog of a generalization of the Eulerian polynomials, the one in symmetric function theory deals with a refinement of the chromatic symmetric functions of Stanley, and the one in algebraic geometry deals with Tymoczko's representation of the symmetric group on the cohomology of the regular semisimple Hessenberg variety of type A. Our purpose is to explore some remarkable connections bet…
The combinatorial theory of species developed by Joyal provides a foundation for enumerative combinatorics of objects constructed from finite sets. In this paper we develop an analogous theory for the enumerative combinatorics of objects constructed from vector spaces over finite fields. Examples of these objects include subspaces, flags of subspaces, direct sum decompositions, and linear maps or matrices of various types. The unifying concept is that of a q-species, defined to be a functor from the category of finite dimensional vector spaces over a finite field with to the category of finite…
The nonvanishing problem asks if a coefficient of a polynomial is nonzero. Many families of polynomials in algebraic combinatorics admit combinatorial counting rules and simultaneously enjoy having saturated Newton polytopes (SNP). Thereby, in amenable cases, nonvanishing is in the complexity class $NP\cap coNP$ of problems with "good characterizations". This suggests a new algebraic combinatorics viewpoint on complexity theory. This report discusses the case of Schubert polynomials. These form a basis of all polynomials and appear in the study of cohomology rings of flag manifolds. We give a …
A solution is given to the following problem: how to compute the multiplicity, or more generally the Hilbert function, at a point on a Schubert variety in an orthogonal Grassmannian. Standard monomial theory is applied to translate the problem from geometry to combinatorics. The solution of the resulting combinatorial problem forms the bulk of the paper. This approach has been followed earlier to solve the same problem for the Grassmannian and the symplectic Grassmannian. As an application, we present an interpretation of the multiplicity as the number of non-intersecting lattice paths of a ce…
We study a family of posets and the associated chain and order polytopes. We identify the order polytope as a maximal Kogan face in a Gelfand-Tsetlin polytope of a multiple of a fundamental weight. We show that the character of such a Kogan face equals to the character of a Demazure module which occurs in the irreducible representation of $\mathfrak{sl}_n$ having highest weight multiple of fundamental weight and for any such Demazure module there exists a corresponding poset and associated maximal Kogan face. We prove that the chain polytope parametrizes a monomial basis of the associated PBW-…
We give degree formulas for Grothendieck polynomials indexed by vexillary permutations and $1432$-avoiding permutations via tableau combinatorics. These formulas generalize a formula for degrees of symmetric Grothendieck polynomials which appeared in previous joint work of the authors with Y. Ren and A. St. Dizier. We apply our formulas to compute Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity of classes of generalized determinantal ideals. In particular, we give combinatorial formulas for the regularities of all one-sided mixed ladder determinantal ideals. We also derive formulas for the regularities of cert…
The paper contains enumerative combinatorics for positive braids, square free braids, and simple braids, emphasizing connections with classical Fibonacci sequence. The simple subgraph of the Cayley graph of the braid group is analyzed in the final part.
The non-negative integer cocharge statistic on words was introduced in the 1970's by Lascoux and Schützenberger to combinatorially characterize the Hall-Littlewood polynomials. Cocharge has since been used to explain phenomena ranging from the graded decomposition of Garsia-Procesi modules to the cohomology structure of the Grassman variety. Although its application to contemporary variations of these problems had been deemed intractable, we prove that the two-parameter, symmetric Macdonald polynomials are generating functions of a distinguished family of colored words. Cocharge adorns one par…
