The number of involutions with \(r\) fixed points and a long increasing subsequence (Q1174154)

It is pointed out that the number \(c(n,m,r)\) of involutions in the symmetric group \(S_ n\) on \(\{1,2,\ldots,n\}\) having \(r\) fixed points and longest increasing subsequence of length \(m\) can be expressed as a sum is degrees \(f^ \lambda\) of irreducible representations of \(S_ n\) labelled by partitions \(\lambda\). The sum is restricted to those \(\lambda\) for which the corresponding Ferrers diagram has \(m\) columns, of which \(r\) have odd length. A new expression is derived for the sum of Schur functions \(s_ \lambda(x)\) weighted by \(t^ r\), where the sum is over partitions with an upper bound \(m\) on the largest part and \(r\) is as before. This expression involves division by the Vandermonde determinant \(V(x)\). Using an earlier result [Can. J. Math. 42, 763-775 (1990; Zbl 0723.05118)] to carry out this division, the author then derives an explicit formula for \(c(n,m,r)\) in those cases for which \((n-1)/2\leq m\leq n-1\).