The cyclic sieving phenomenon (Q1881679): Difference between revisions

Let \(X\) be a finite set with an action of a cyclic group \(C\) of order \(n\). Let \(X(q)\) be a polynomial in \(q\) having nonnegative integer coefficients, with the property that \(X(1)=| X| \). Fix an isomorphism \(\omega\) of \(C\) with the complex \(n\)th roots of unity. Proposition. For a triple \((X,X(q),C)\) the following are equivalent: (i) For every \(c\in C\), \([X(q)]_{q=\omega(c)}=| \{x\in X\;| \;c(x)=x\}| \). (ii) The coefficients \(a_l\) defined uniquely by the expansion \[ X(q)\equiv \sum_{l=0}^{n-1}a_lq^l\pmod{q^n-1} \] have the following interpretation: \(a_l\) counts the number of \(C\)-orbits on \(X\) for which the stabilizer order divides \(l\). When either of these two conditions holds, we say that \((X,X(q),C)\) exhibits the cyclic sieving phenomenon. If \(| C| =2\), then condition (i) above is Stembridge's \(q=-1\) phenomenon. In this paper it is shown that the cyclic sieving phenomenon appears in various situations, involving \(q\)-binomial coefficients, finite reflection groups, and some finite field \(q\)-analogues. Theorem 1.6. Let \((W,S)\) be a finite Coxeter system and \(J\subseteq S\). Let \(C\) be a cyclic subgroup generated by a regular element. Let \(X\) be a set of cosets \(W/W_J\), and \(X(q)=W^J(q)\). Then \((X,X(q),C)\) exhibits the cyclic sieving phenomenon.