Equivalence Classes of Permutations under Various Relations Generated by Constrained Transpositions
Steven Linton
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Computational Algebra
University of St Andrews
St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AJ
Scotland
United Kingdom
James Propp
University of Massachusetts
Lowell, MA 01854
USA
Tom Roby
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269
USA
Julian West
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TW
England
Abstract:
We consider a large family of equivalence relations on the symmetric
group of permutations of n that generalize those discovered by Knuth
in his study of the Robinson-Schensted correspondence. In our most
general setting, two permutations are equivalent if one can be obtained
from the other by a sequence of pattern-replacing moves of prescribed
form; however, we limit our focus to patterns where two elements are
transposed, subject to the constraint that a third element of a suitable
type be in a suitable position. For various instances of the problem,
we compute the number of equivalence classes, determine how many
n-permutations are equivalent to the identity permutation, or
characterize this equivalence class. Although our results feature
familiar integer sequences (e.g., Catalan, Fibonacci, and Tribonacci
numbers) and special classes of permutations (layered, connected, and
123-avoiding), some of the sequences that arise appear to be new.
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(Concerned with sequences
A000045
A000073
A000079
A000085
A000108
A000142
A000213
A000930
A001405
A003319
A010551
A052952
A210667
A210668
A210669
A210671
A212417
A212419
A212432
A212433
A212580
A212581
.)
Received June 21 2012;
revised version received November 1 2012.
Published in Journal of Integer Sequences, November 2 2012.
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