Bijections between noncrossing and nonnesting partitions for classical reflection groups (Q604625)

This paper deals with two sets of objects, namely noncrossing and nonnesting partitions associated with a classical Coxeter group \(W\). The number of elements of each one of these two sets is given by the generalized Catalan number \(\Pi_{i=1}^r(h+d_i)/d_i\), where \(h\) is the Coxeter number of \(W\) and \(d_1,\ldots,d_r\) its degrees. However, only for the type A case a bijective proof of this fact was known. In this paper, the authors fill this gap by presenting an elegant type preserving bijection between noncrossing and nonnesting partitions for all classical Coxeter groups, thus answering a question by \textit{C. A. Athanasiadis}, [``On noncrossing and nonnesting partitions for classical reflection groups,'' Electron. J. Comb. 5, Research paper R42, 16 p. (1998); printed version J. Comb. 5, 617--632 (1998; Zbl 0898.05004)]. Essentially simultaneously to the paper under review, two other bijections have been constructed, namely [\textit{C. Stump}, ``Non-crossing partitions, non-nesting partitions and Coxeter sortable elements in types A and B,'' Preprint (2008), arXiv:math.CO/0808.2822] and [\textit{R. Mamede}, ``A bijection between noncrossing and nonesting partitions of types A and B,'' Discrete Mathematics \& Theoretical Computer Science Proc. AK, 2009, 597-610, arXiv:math.CO/0810.1422]. Both of these limit themselves to types A and B, and preserve distinct properties of the partitions. Since then other bijections were constructed, namely [\textit{A. Conflitti} and \textit{R. Mamede}, ``On noncrossing and nonnesting partitions of type D,'' Annals of Comb., arXiv:math.CO/0905.4371] and [\textit{M. Rubey} and \textit{C. Stump}, ``Crossings and nestings in set partitions of classical types,'' Electron. J. Comb. 17, No.\,1, Res. Paper R120 (2010; Zbl 1277.05011)]. More recently, the first uniform bijection between noncrossing and nonnesting partitions for all Weyl groups was obtained [\textit{D. Armstrong, C. Stump} and \textit{H. Thomas}, ``A uniform bijection between noncrossing and nonnesting partitions,'' Preprint (2011), arXiv:math.CO/1101.1277], although the proof that the construction is well-defined is case-by-case, and uses a computer in the exceptional types.