\(q\)-rationals and finite Schubert varieties (Q6040283)

To a rational number \(\frac{r}{s} \in \mathbb{Q}_{>1}\) \textit{S. Morier-Genoud} and \textit{V. Ovsienko} [Forum Math. Sigma 8, Paper No. e13, 55 p. (2020; Zbl 1434.05023)] associate a ``\(q\)-rational'' (function) \[ \bigg[\frac{r}{s}\bigg]_q= \frac{\mathcal{R} (q)}{\mathcal{S} (q)} \in \mathbb{Z} [q], \] a formal power series in the indeterminate \(q\) with integer coefficients, where numerator and denominator are coprime integer polynomials with non-negative coefficients. For a natural number \(n=\frac{n}{1}\), one simply has \[ \mathcal{R}(q)=1+q+q^2+ \dots + q^{n-1},\text{ and }\mathcal{S} (q)=1, \] while in the general case the rational function \(\frac{\mathcal{R} (q)}{\mathcal{S} (q)}\) is derived from the continued fraction expansion \[ \frac{r}{s}=[a_1,\dots,a_{2m}]. \] The article gives a combinatorial interpretation of the numerator polynomial \(\mathcal{R} (q)\). Taking \[ n=\sum_{1 \le i \le 2m} a_i, \ k= \sum_{1 \le i \le m} a_{2i}, \] one considers for a field \(\mathbb{K}\) the Grassmannian \(\mathrm{Gr}_k(\mathbb{K}^n)\) of \(k\)-planes in \(n\)-space \(\mathbb{K}^n\). It is the disjoint union of ``open Schubert cells'', locally closed subvarieties, \[ \mathrm{Gr}_k(\mathbb{K}^n) = \bigcup_\lambda \Omega_\lambda^{\circ}, \] where \(\lambda= (\lambda_1 \ge \dots \ge \lambda_r>0)\) denotes any partition with \(r \le k\) and \(|\lambda|=\lambda_1+\dots+ \lambda_r \le n-k\). Indeed \[ \Omega_\lambda^{\circ} \cong \mathbb{K}^{|\lambda|}. \] On the other hand, the given rational number \(\frac{r}{s}\) determines partitions \(\mu \le \nu\) of the above type, and if \(\mathbb{K}=\mathbb{F}_q\) is the finite field with \(q\) elements, the main result of the article is the equality \[ q^{|\mu|}\mathcal{R}(q)= \big| \bigcup_{\mu \le \lambda \le \nu} \Omega_\lambda^{\circ}\ \ \big|. \] Here of course, \(q\) is a prime power and not any longer an indeterminate.