Colored species, \(c\)-monoids, and plethysm. I (Q690032)

For any set \(I\neq\varnothing\), an \(I\)-species is a functor \(M: \underline {B}_ I\to \underline B\), where \(\underline B\) is the category of finite sets and bijections and \(\underline B_ I\) is the category of \(I\)- colored finite sets \((E,f)\) (i.e. \(E\in\text{Ob }\underline B\), \(f: E\to I\)) and color-preserving bijections (isomorphisms). Objects in \(\underline B_ I\) are isomorphic iff they have the same class \(\text{cl}(E,f):=(| f^{-1}(i)|: i\in I)\); using the denotation \(| M[\underline n]|:=| M[E,f]|\) with an arbitrary \((E,f)\) of class \(\text{cl}(E,f)=\underline n\) for any \(I\)-tuple of natural numbers \(\underline n=(n_ i: i\in I)\) such that \(n_ i=0\) for almost every \(i\in I\) (write \(\underline n\in\mathbb{N}_ I)\), the authors define the generating function of \(I\)-species \(M\) to be the formal power series \(M(\underline x)\) in the \(I\)-tuple of formal variables \(\underline x=(x_ i: i\in I)\) with \(| M[\underline n]|\) being the coefficient of \(\underline x^{\underline n}/\underline n!\), \(\underline n\in\mathbb{N}_ I\). Now, for \(I\)-species, the operations addition, multiplication, partial differentiation and substitution are settled in such a manner that they are preserved by passing on to the generating functions, and in the same way, by considering \(J\)-systems of \(I\)-species (for an arbitrary set \(J\neq\varnothing\)) there is given a set-theoretic counterpart of the operations on \(J\)-tuples of formal power series in the \(I\)-tuple of variables \(\underline x\). Thus, Joyal's theory of species in several variables is generalized to an arbitrary \(I\)-tuple of variables preserving all basic properties, including the implicit function theorem and---by extending Bergeron's theory of \(S\)-species (permutationals) and cycle indices---the cycle index technique for the enumeration of types of structures. By supplying \(I\) with a \(c\)-monoid structure (i.e. a monoid satisfying the left cancellation law) a generalized notion of plethysm (called \(I\)-plethysm) of power series in \(\underline x\) and its set- theoretic counterpart in the theory of \(I\)-species is obtained. Moreover, the application of \(I\)-species to the theory of symmetric species enables to give a set-theoretic counterpart (namely symmetric plethysm of symmetric \(I\)-species) to Littlewood's plethysm of symmetric functions. There are given many instructive examples for the structures dealt with in this paper. (Some of the few misprints are a little misrepresenting, e.g. in Example 1.1).