An ordered partition of [n]:={1,2,..., n} is a sequence of its disjoint subsets whose union is [n]. The number of ordered partitions of [n] with k blocks is k!S(n,k), where S(n,k) is the Stirling number of second kind. In this paper we prove some refinements of this formula by showing that the generating function of some statistics on the set of ordered partitions of [n] with k blocks is a natural $q$-analogue of k!S(n,k). In particular, we prove several conjectures of Steingr\'ımsson. To this end, we construct a mapping from ordered partitions to walks in some digraphs and then, thanks to transfer-matrix method, we determine the corresponding generating functions by determinantal computations.
It is known that the $S(n,k)$ Stirling numbers as well as the ordered Stirling numbers $k!S(n,k)$ form log-concave sequences. Although in the first case there are many estimations about the mode, for the ordered Stirling numbers such estimations are not known. In this short note we study this problem and some of its generalizations.
By considering Eulerian numbers and ordered Stirling numbers of the second and third kinds over a multiset, we generalize identities of Eulerian numbers and Stirling numbers of the second and third kinds and provide $q$-analogs of these generalizations. Using these generalizations, we also compute Eulerian numbers and ordered Stirling numbers of the second kind over a multiset.
For the Stirling numbers of the second kind $S(n,k)$ and the ordered Bell numbers $B(n)$, we prove the identity $\sum_{k=1}^{n/2} S(n,2k)(2k-1)! = B(n-1)$. An analogous identity holds for the sum over odd $k$'s.
Steingrimsson has recently introduced a partition analogue of Foata-Zeilberger's mak statistic for permutations and conjectured that its generating function is equal to the classical q-Stirling numbers of second kind. In this paper we prove a generalization of Steingrimsson's conjecture.
We define a variation of Stirling permutations, called quasi-Stirling permutations, to be permutations on the multiset $\{1,1,2,2,\ldots, n,n\}$ that avoid the patterns 1212 and 2121. Their study is motivated by a known relationship between Stirling permutations and increasing ordered rooted labeled trees. We construct a bijection between quasi-Stirling permutations and the set of ordered rooted labeled trees and investigate pattern avoidance for these permutations.
We investigate the diagonal generating function of the Jacobi-Stirling numbers of the second kind $ \JS(n+k,n;z)$ by generalizing the analogous results for the Stirling and Legendre-Stirling numbers. More precisely, letting $\JS(n+k,n;z)=p_{k,0}(n)+p_{k,1}(n)z+...+p_{k,k}(n)z^k$, we show that $(1-t)^{3k-i+1}\sum_{n\geq0}p_{k,i}(n)t^n$ is a polynomial in $t$ with nonnegative integral coefficients and provide combinatorial interpretations of the coefficients by using Stanley's theory of $P$-partitions.
A set partition of $[n] := \{1, 2, \dots, n \}$ is called {\em $r$-Stirling} if the numbers $1, 2, \dots, r$ belong to distinct blocks. Haglund, Rhoades, and Shimozono constructed graded ring $R_{n,k}$ depending on two positive integers $k \leq n$ whose algebraic properties are governed by the combinatorics of ordered set partitions of $[n]$ with $k$ blocks. We introduce a variant $R_{n,k}^{(r)}$ of this quotient for ordered $r$-Stirling partitions which depends on three integers $r \leq k \leq n$. We describe the standard monomial basis of $R_{n,k}^{(r)}$ and use the combinatorial notion of t…
The Stirling number of a simple graph is the number of partitions of its vertex set into a specific number of non-empty independent sets. In 2015, Engbers et al. showed that the coefficients in the normal ordering of a word $w$ in the alphabet $\{x,D\}$ subject to the relation $Dx=xD+1$ are equal to the Stirling number of certain graphs constructed from $w$. In this paper, we introduce graphical versions of the Stirling numbers of the first kind and the Lah numbers and show how they occur as coefficients in other normal ordering settings. Identities involving their $q$-analogues are also obtai…
The Legendre-Stirling numbers of the second kind were introduced by Everitt et al. in the spectral theory of powers of the Legendre differential expressions. In this paper, we provide a combinatorial code for Legendre-Stirling set partitions. As an application, we obtain combinatorial expansions of the Legendre-Stirling numbers of both kinds. Moreover, we present grammatical descriptions of the Jacobi-Stirling numbers of both kinds.
Using Reiner's definition of Stirling numbers of type B of the second kind, we provide a 'balls into urns' approach for proving a generalization of a well-known identity concerning the classical Stirling numbers of the second kind: $x^n=\sum\limits_{k=0}^n{S(n,k)[x]_k}.$
Recent developments of Baxter algebras have lead to applications to combinatorics, number theory and mathematical physics. We relate Baxter algebras to Stirling numbers of the first kind and the second kind, partitions and multinomial coefficients. This allows us to apply congruences from number theory to obtain congruences in Baxter algebras.
The Stirling number of the second kind $n\brace k$ counts the number of ways to partition a set of $n$ labeled balls into $k$ non-empty unlabeled cells. As an extension of this, we consider $b_1+b_2+\ldots+b_n$ balls with $b_1$ balls labeled $1$, $b_2$ balls labeled $2$, $\ldots$, $b_n$ balls labeled $n$ and $c_1+c_2+\ldots+c_k$ cells with $c_1$ cells labeled $1$, $c_2$ cells labeled $2$, $\ldots$, $c_k$ cells labeled $k$ and then we called the number of ways to partition the set of these balls into non-empty cells of these types as the \textit{mixed partition numbers}. As an application, we g…
We study set partitions with $r$ distinguished elements and block sizes found in an arbitrary index set $S$. The enumeration of these $(S,r)$-partitions leads to the introduction of $(S,r)$-Stirling numbers, an extremely wide-ranging generalization of the classical Stirling numbers and the $r$-Stirling numbers. We also introduce the associated $(S,r)$-Bell and $(S,r)$-factorial numbers. We study fundamental aspects of these numbers, including recurrence relations and determinantal expressions. For $S$ with some extra structure, we show that the inverse of the $(S,r)$-Stirling matrix encodes th…
We prove a conjecture of Haglund which can be seen as an extension of the equidistribution of the inversion number and the major index over permutations to ordered set partitions. Haglund's conjecture implicitly defines two statistics on ordered set partitions and states that they are equidistributed. The implied inversion statistic is equivalent to a statistic on ordered set partitions studied by Steingrímsson, Ishikawa, Kasraoui, and Zeng, and is known to have a nice distribution in terms of $q$-Stirling numbers. The resulting major index exhibits a combinatorial relationship between $q$-Sti…
We define combinatorially a partial order on the set partitions and show that it is equivalent to the Bruhat-Chevalley-Renner order on the upper triangular matrices. By considering subposets consisting of set partitions with a fixed number of blocks, we introduce and investigate "Stirling posets." As we show, the Stirling posets have a hierarchy and they glue together to give the whole set partition poset. Moreover, we show that they (Stirling posets) are graded and EL-shellable. We offer various reformulations of their length functions and determine the recurrences for their length generating…
A permutation $σ$ of a multiset is called Stirling permutation if $σ(s)\ge σ(i)$ as soon as $σ(i)=σ(j)$ and $i<s<j.$ In our paper we study Stirling polynomials that arise in the generating function for descent statistics on Stirling permutations of any multiset. We develop generalizations of the classical Stirling numbers and present their combinatorial interpretations. Particularly, we apply the theory of $P$-partitions. Using certain specifications we also introduce the Stirling numbers of odd type and generalizations of the central factorial numbers.
In this paper, we consider a generalization of the Stirling number sequence of both kinds by using a specialization of a new family of symmetric functions. We give combinatorial interpretations for this symmetric functions by means of weighted lattice path and tilings. We also present some new convolutions involving the complete and elementary symmetric functions. Additionally, we introduce different families of set partitions to give combinatorial interpretations for the modular $s$-Stirling numbers.
Exponentiating the hypergeometric series gives a recursion relation for integer sequences which are generalizations of conventional Bell numbers. The corresponding associated Stirling numbers of the second kind are also generated and investigated. For the lowest order generalisation, one can give a combinatorial interpretation of these 'Bell' numbers, and of some Stirling numbers associated with them. We also consider these analogues of Bell numbers in the case of restricted partitions.
In this note we investigate mixed partitions with extra condition on the sizes of the blocks. We give a general formula and the generating function. We consider in more details a special case, determining the generating functions, some recurrences and a connection to r-Stirling numbers. To obtain our results, we use pure combinatorial arguments, classical manipulations of generating functions and to derive the generating functions we apply the symbolic method.
We introduce and study the lattice of generalized partitions, called weighted partitions. This lattice possesses similar properties of the lattice of partitions. By use of the pictorial representation of a weighted partition, the total number is given by the successive Stirling transforms of the Stirling number of the second kind. We construct an explicit $EL$-labeling on the lattice, which implies this lattice is $EL$-shellable and hence shellable. We compute the Möbius function and the characteristic polynomial by use of a pictorial representation of a maximal decreasing chain. Further, a ma…
It is well known that the Bell numbers represent the total number of partitions of an n-set. Similarly, the Stirling numbers of the second kind, represent the number of k-partitions of an n-set. In this paper we introduce a certain partitioning process that gives rise to a sequence of sets of "nested" partitions. We prove that at stage m, the cardinality of the resulting set will equal the m-th order Bell number. This set-theoretic interpretation enables us to make a natural definition of higher order Stirling numbers and to study the combinatorics of these entities. The cardinality of the ele…
We introduce a generalization of the Stirling numbers via symmetric functions involving two weight functions. The resulting extension unifies previously known Stirling-type sequences with known symmetric function forms, as well as other sequences such as the $p,q$-binomial coefficients. Recurrence relations, generating functions, orthogonality relations, convolution formulas, and determinants of certain matrices involving the obtained sequences are derived. We also give combinatorial interpretations of certain cases in terms of colored partitions and permutations.
Restricted Whitney numbers of the first kind appear in the combinatorial recursion for the matroid Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials. In the special case of braid matroids (the matroid associated to the partition lattice, the complete graph, the type A Coxeter arrangement and the symmetric group) these restricted Whitney numbers are Stirling numbers of the first kind. We use this observation to obtain a formula for the coefficients of the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials for braid matroids in terms of sums of products of Stirling numbers of the first kind. This results in new identities between Stirling …
For a graph $G$ and a positive integer $k$, the {\em graphical Stirling number} $S(G,k)$ is the number of partitions of the vertex set of $G$ into $k$ non-empty independent sets. Equivalently it is the number of proper colorings of $G$ that use exactly $k$ colors, with two colorings identified if they differ only on the names of the colors. If $G$ is the empty graph on $n$ vertices then $S(G,k)$ reduces to $S(n,k)$, the familiar Stirling number of the second kind. In this note we first consider Stirling numbers of forests. We show that if $(F^{c(n)}_n)_{n\geq 0}$ is any sequence of forests wit…
This work deals with a new generalization of $r$-Stirling numbers using $l$-tuple of permutations and partitions called $(l,r)$-Stirling numbers of both kinds. We study various properties of these numbers using combinatorial interpretations and symmetric functions. Also, we give a limit representation of the multiple zeta function using $(l,r)$-Stirling of the first kind.
For two collections of nonnegative and suitably normalised weights $\W=(\W_j)$ and $\V=(\V_{n,k})$, a probability distribution on the set of partitions of the set $\{1,...,n\}$ is defined by assigning to a generic partition $\{A_j, j\leq k\}$ the probability $\V_{n,k} \W_{|A_1|}... \W_{|A_k|}$, where $|A_j|$ is the number of elements of $A_j$. We impose constraints on the weights by assuming that the resulting random partitions $Π_n$ of $[n]$ are consistent as $n$ varies, meaning that they define an exchangeable partition of the set of all natural numbers. This implies that the weights $\W$ mu…
The distribution of certain Mahonian statistic (called $\mathrm{BAST}$) introduced by Babson and Steingrímsson over the set of permutations that avoid vincular pattern $1\underline{32}$, is shown bijectively to match the distribution of major index over the same set. This new layer of equidistribution is then applied to give alternative interpretations of two related $q$-Stirling numbers of the second kind, studied by Carlitz and Gould. Moreover, extensions to an Euler-Mahonian statistic over ordered set partitions, and to statistics over ordered multiset partitions present themselves naturall…
Stirling numbers, which count partitions of a set and permutations in the symmetric group, have found extensive application in combinatorics, geometry, and algebra. We study analogues and q-analogues of these numbers corresponding to the Coxeter group of type B. In particular, we show how they are related to complete homogeneous and elementary symmetric polynomials; demonstrate how they q-count signed partitions and permutations; compute their ordinary, exponential, and q-exponential generating functions; and prove various identities about them. Ordered analogues of the q-Stirling numbers of t…
This paper studies the generalizations of the Stirling numbers of both kinds and the Lah numbers in association with the normal order problem in the Weyl algebra $W=\langle x,D|Dx-xD=1\rangle$. Any word $ω\in W$ with $m$ $x$'s and $n$ $D$'s can be expressed in the normally ordered form $ω=x^{m-n}\sum_{k\ge 0} {ω\brace {k}} x^{k}D^{k}$, where ${ω\brace {k}}$ is known as the Stirling number of the second kind for the word $ω$. This study considers the expansions of restricted words $ω$ in $W$ over the sequences $\{(xD)^{k}\}_{k\ge 0}$ and $\{xD^{k}x^{k-1}\}_{k\ge 0}$. Interestingly, the coeffici…
We find exact and asymptotic formulas for the average values of several statistics on set partitions: of Carlitz's $q$-Stirling distributions, of the numbers of crossings in linear and circular representations of set partitions, of the numbers of overlappings and embracings, and of the numbers of occurrences of a 2-pattern.
We study statistics on ordered set partitions whose generating functions are related to $p,q$-Stirling numbers of the second kind. The main purpose of this paper is to provide bijective proofs of all the conjectures of \stein (Arxiv:math.CO/0605670). Our basic idea is to encode ordered partitions by a kind of path diagrams and explore the rich combinatorial properties of the latter structure. We also give a partition version of MacMahon's theorem on the equidistribution of the statistics inversion number and major index on words.
Let $w$ be a word in alphabet $\{x,D\}$ with $m$ $x$'s and $n$ $D$'s. Interpreting "$x$" as multiplication by $x$, and "$D$" as differentiation with respect to $x$, the identity $wf(x) = x^{m-n}\sum_k S_w(k) x^k D^k f(x)$, valid for any smooth function $f(x)$, defines a sequence $(S_w(k))_k$, the terms of which we refer to as the {\em Stirling numbers (of the second kind)} of $w$. The nomenclature comes from the fact that when $w=(xD)^n$, we have $S_w(k)={n \brace k}$, the ordinary Stirling number of the second kind. Explicit expressions for, and identities satisfied by, the $S_w(k)$ have been…
We introduce several statistics on ordered partitions of sets, that is, set partitions where the blocks are permuted arbitrarily. The distribution of these statistics is closely related to the q-Stirling numbers of the second kind. Some of the statistics are generalizations of known statistics on set partitions, but others are entirely new. All the new ones are sums of two statistics, inspired by statistics on permutations, where one of the two statistics is based on a certain partial ordering of the blocks of a partition.
Broder introduced the r-Stirling numbers of the first kind and of the second kind which enumerate restricted permutations and respectively restricted partitions, the restriction being that the first r elements must be in distinct cycles and respectively in distinct subsets. Kim-Kim-Lee-Park constructed the degenerate r-Stirling numbers of both kinds as degenerate versions of them. The aim of this paper is to derive some identities and recurrence relations for the degenerate r-Stirling numbers of the first kind and of the second kind via boson operators. In particular, we obtain the normal orde…
On the Graphical $r$-Stirling Numbers of the First Kind for Specific Graph Families
Department of Computer science, University of Torbat-e Jam（托尔巴特-贾姆大学计算机系）；Department of Pure Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad（马什哈德费尔多西大学理学院纯数学系）
In this paper we consider the enumeration of ordered set partitions avoiding a permutation pattern of length 2 or 3. We provide an exact enumeration for avoiding the permutation 12. We also give exact enumeration for ordered partitions with 3 blocks and ordered partitions with n-1 blocks avoiding a permutation of length 3. We use enumeration schemes to recursively enumerate 123-avoiding ordered partitions with any block sizes. Finally, we give some asymptotic results for the growth rates of the number of ordered set partitions avoiding a single pattern; including a Stanley-Wilf type that exhib…
P.L. Erdos and L.A. Szekely [Adv. Appl. Math. 10(1989), 488-496] gave a bijection between rooted semilabeled trees and set partitions. L.H. Harper's results [Ann. Math. Stat. 38(1967), 410-414] on the asymptotic normality of the Stirling numbers of the second kind translates into asymptotic normality of rooted semilabeled trees with given number of vertices, when the number of internal vertices varies. The Erdos-Szekely bijection specializes to a bijection between phylogenetic trees and set partitions with classes of size \geq 2. We consider modified Stirling numbers of the second kind that en…
We derive new formulas for the number of unordered (distinct) factorizations with $k$ parts of a positive integer $n$ as sums over the partitions of $k$ and an auxiliary function, the number of partitions of the prime exponents of $n$, where the parts have a specific number of colors. As a consequence, some new relations between partitions, Bell numbers and Stirling number of the second kind are derived. We also derive a recursive formula for the number of unordered factorizations with $k$ different parts and a simple recursive formula for the number of partitions with $k$ different parts.
The notion of noncrossing linked partition arose from the study of certain transforms in free probability theory. It is known that the number of noncrossing linked partitions of [n+1] is equal to the n-th large Schroder number $r_n$, which counts the number of Schroder paths. In this paper we give a bijective proof of this result. Then we introduce the structures of linked partitions and linked cycles. We present various combinatorial properties of noncrossing linked partitions, linked partitions, and linked cycles, and connect them to other combinatorial structures and results, including incr…
An ordered partition of $[n]=\{1, 2, \ldots, n\}$ is a partition whose blocks are endowed with a linear order. Let $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}$ be set of ordered partitions of $[n]$ with $k$ blocks and $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(σ)$ be set of ordered partitions in $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}$ that avoid a pattern $σ$. Recently, Godbole, Goyt, Herdan and Pudwell obtained formulas for the number of ordered partitions of $[n]$ with 3 blocks and the number of ordered partitions of $[n]$ with $n-1$ blocks avoiding a permutation pattern of length 3. They showed that $|\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(σ)|=|\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(123)|$ for …
In this paper we use the Klazar-Marcus-Tardos method to prove that if a hereditary property of partitions P has super-exponential speed, then for every k-permutation pi, P contains the partition of [2k] with parts {i, pi(i) + k}, where 1 <= i <= k. We also prove a similar jump, from exponential to factorial, in the possible speeds of monotone properties of ordered graphs, and of hereditary properties of ordered graphs not containing large complete, or complete bipartite ordered graphs. Our results generalize the Stanley-Wilf Conjecture on the number of n-permutations avoiding a fixed permutati…
We consider the enumeration of ordered set partitions avoiding a permutation pattern, as introduced by Godbole, Goyt, Herdan and Pudwell. Let $\op_{n,k}(p)$ be the number of ordered set partitions of $\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$ into $k$ blocks that avoid a permutation pattern $p$. We establish an explicit identity between the number $\op_{n,k}(p)$ and the numbers of words avoiding the inverse of $p$. This identity allows us to easily translate results on pattern-avoiding words obtained in earlier works into equivalent results on pattern-avoiding ordered set partitions. In particular, \emph{(a)} we dete…
Given $R \subseteq \mathbb{N}$ let ${n \brace k}_R$, ${n \brack k}_R$, and $L(n,k)_R$ be the number of ways of partitioning the set $[n]$ into $k$ non-empty subsets, cycles and lists, respectively, with each block having cardinality in $R$. We refer to these as the $R$-restricted Stirling numbers of the second and first kind and the $R$-restricted Lah numbers, respectively. Note that the classical Stirling numbers of the second kind and first kind, and Lah numbers are ${n \brace k} = {n \brace k}_{\mathbb{N}}$, ${n \brack k} = {n \brack k}_{\mathbb{N}} $ and $L(n,k) = L(n,k)_{\mathbb{N}}$, res…
An ordered set partition of $\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$ is a partition with an ordering on the parts. Let $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}$ be the set of ordered set partitions of $[n]$ with $k$ blocks. Godbole, Goyt, Herdan and Pudwell defined $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(σ)$ to be the set of ordered set partitions in $\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}$ avoiding a permutation pattern $σ$ and obtained the formula for $|\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(σ)|$ when the pattern $σ$ is of length $2$. Later, Chen, Dai and Zhou found a formula algebraically for $|\mathcal{OP}_{n,k}(σ)|$ when the pattern $σ$ is of length $3$. In this paper, we define a new patt…
The Delta Conjecture of Haglund, Remmel, and Wilson is a recent generalization of the Shuffle Conjecture in the field of diagonal harmonics. In this paper we give evidence for the Delta Conjecture by proving a pair of conjectures of Wilson and Haglund-Remmel-Wilson which give equidistribution results for statistics related to inversion count and major index on objects related to ordered set partitions. Our results generalize the famous result of MacMahon that major index and inversion number share the same distribution on permutations.
A classical result of MacMahon states that inversion number and major index have the same distribution over permutations of a given multiset. In this work we prove a strengthening of this theorem originally conjectured by Haglund. Our result can be seen as an equidistribution theorem over the ordered partitions of a multiset into sets, which we call ordered multiset partitions. Our proof is bijective and involves a new generalization of Carlitz's insertion method. This generalization leads to a new extension of Macdonald polynomials for hook shapes. We use our main theorem to show that these p…
In this paper, we study merging-free partitions with their canonical forms and run-sorted permutations. We give a combinatorial proof of the conjecture made by Nabawanda et al. We describe the distribution of the statistics of runs and right-to-left minima over the set of run-sorted permutations and we give the exponential generating function for their joint distribution. We show the number of right-to-left minima is given by the shifted distribution of the Stirling number of the second kind. We also prove that the non-crossing merging-free partitions are enumerated by powers of 2. We use one …
We construct an action of the Hecke algebra $H_n(q)$ on a quotient of the polynomial ring $F[x_1, \dots, x_n]$, where $F = \mathbb{Q}(q)$. The dimension of our quotient ring is the number of $k$-block ordered set partitions of $\{1, 2, \dots, n \}$. This gives a quantum analog of a construction of Haglund-Rhoades-Shimozono and interpolates between their result at $q = 1$ and work of Huang-Rhoades at $q = 0$.
In this paper, we consider ordered set partitions obtained by imposing conditions on the size of the lists, and such that the first $r$ elements are in distinct blocks, respectively. We introduce a generalization of the Lah numbers. For this new combinatorial sequence we derive its exponential generating function, some recurrence relations, and combinatorial identities. We prove and present results using combinatorial arguments, generating functions, the symbolic method and Riordan arrays. For some specific cases we provide a combinatorial interpretation for the inverse matrix of the generaliz…
We study the bounded regions in a generic slice of the hyperplane arrangement in $\mathbb{R}^n$ consisting of the hyperplanes defined by $x_i$ and $x_i+x_j$. The bounded regions are in bijection with several classes of combinatorial objects, including the ordered partitions of $[n]$ all of whose left-to-right minima occur at odd locations and the drawings of rooted plane trees with $n+1$ vertices. These are sequences of rooted plane trees such that each tree in a sequence can be obtained from the next one by removing a leaf.
