Promotion of Kreweras words

Kreweras words are words consisting of n$$\mathrm {A}$$ A ’s, n$$\mathrm {B}$$ B ’s, and n$$\mathrm {C}$$ C ’s in which every prefix has at least as many $$\mathrm {A}$$ A ’s as $$\mathrm {B}$$ B ’s and at least as many $$\mathrm {A}$$ A ’s as $$\mathrm {C}$$ C ’s. Equivalently, a Kreweras word is a linear extension of the poset $$\mathsf{V}\times [n]$$ V × [ n ] . Kreweras words were introduced in 1965 by Kreweras, who gave a remarkable product formula for their enumeration. Subsequently they became a fundamental example in the theory of lattice walks in the quarter plane. We study Schützenberger’s promotion operator on the set of Kreweras words. In particular, we show that 3n applications of promotion on a Kreweras word merely swaps the $$\mathrm {B}$$ B ’s and $$\mathrm {C}$$ C ’s. Doing so, we provide the first answer to a question of Stanley from 2009, asking for posets with ‘good’ behavior under promotion, other than the four families of shapes classified by Haiman in 1992. We also uncover a strikingly simple description of Kreweras words in terms of Kuperberg’s $$\mathfrak {sl}_3$$ sl 3 -webs, and Postnikov’s trip permutation associated with any plabic graph. In this description, Schützenberger’s promotion corresponds to rotation of the web.

Walks with Small Steps in the 4D-Orthant

We provide some first experimental data about generating functions of restricted lattice walks with small steps in $${\mathbb {N}}^4$$ N 4 .

Counting quadrant walks via Tutte's invariant method (extended abstract)

Extended abstract presented at the conference FPSAC 2016, Vancouver. International audience In the 1970s, Tutte developed a clever algebraic approach, based on certain " invariants " , to solve a functional equation that arises in the enumeration of properly colored triangulations. The enumeration of plane lattice walks confined to the first quadrant is governed by similar equations, and has led in the past decade to a rich collection of attractive results dealing with the nature (algebraic, D-finite or not) of the associated generating function, depending on the set of allowed steps. We first adapt Tutte's approach to prove (or reprove) the algebraicity of all quadrant models known or conjectured to be algebraic (with one small exception). This includes Gessel's famous model, and the first proof ever found for one model with weighted steps. To be applicable, the method requires the existence of two rational functions called invariant and decoupling function respectively. When they exist, algebraicity comes out (almost) automatically. Then, we move to an analytic viewpoint which has already proved very powerful, leading in particular to integral expressions of the generating function in the non-D-finite cases, as well as to proofs of non-D-finiteness. We develop in this context a weaker notion of invariant. Now all quadrant models have invariants, and for those that have in addition a decoupling function, we obtain integral-free expressions of the generating function, and a proof that this series is differentially algebraic (that is, satisfies a non-linear differential equation).

Continued Classification of 3D Lattice Models in the Positive Octant

International audience We continue the investigations of lattice walks in the three-dimensional lattice restricted to the positive octant. We separate models which clearly have a D-finite generating function from models for which there is no reason to expect that their generating function is D-finite, and we isolate a small set of models whose nature remains unclear and requires further investigation. For these, we give some experimental results about their asymptotic behaviour, based on the inspection of a large number of initial terms. At least for some of them, the guessed asymptotic form seems to tip the balance towards non-D-finiteness.