Parity in partition identities (Q618838)

For \(1 \leq a \leq k\), let \(B_{k,a}(n)\) denote the number of partitions of \(n\) of the form \[ b_1+b_2+\cdots+b_j, \] where \(b_i - b_{i+k-1} \geq 2\) and at most \(a-1\) of the \(b_i\) are equal to \(1\). These are the partitions occurring in Gordon's generalization of the Rogers-Ramanujan identities. In the first part of this paper, the author restricts these partitions by requiring that either the even or odd parts occur either an even or odd number of times. Using \(q\)-difference equations, he obtains various combinatorial and analytic identities involving these partitions. For example, Theorem 2 states that if \(\overline{W}_{k,a}(n)\) denotes the number of partitions counted by \(B_{k,a}(n)\) with the added restriction that odd parts occur an even number of times, then for \(k\) odd and \(a\) even we have, using standard notation, \[ \sum_{n \geq 0} \overline{W}_{k,a}(n)q^n = \frac{(q^{a};q^{2k+2})_{\infty}(q^{2k+2-a};q^{2k+2})_{\infty}(q^{2k+2};q^{2k+2})_{\infty}}{(-q;q^2)_{\infty}(q)_{\infty}}. \] In the second part of the paper the author introduces the four upper/lower even/odd parity indices of a partition. For example, the upper odd parity index of a partition \(\lambda = \lambda_1 + \lambda_2 + \cdots + \lambda_j\) is the maximum length of non-increasing subsequences of \(\{\lambda_1,\lambda_2,\dots,\lambda_j\}\) whose terms alternate in parity starting with an odd \(\lambda_i\). The author computes generating functions involving these parity indices for ordinary partitions and partitions into distinct parts. Nice consequences of these generating functions include identities like \[ \begin{aligned} (-xq)_{\infty} &= \sum_{i,j \geq 0} \frac{x^iq^{(i-j)^2 + j^2+i+j}}{(-q)_i(q)_{2j}(q)_{i-2j}} + \sum_{i,j \geq 0} \frac{x^iq^{(i-j)^2 + j^2+i-j}}{(-q)_i(q)_{2j-1}(q)_{i-2j+1}} \\ &= \sum_{i,j \geq 0} \frac{x^iq^{(i-j)^2 + j^2+j}}{(-q)_i(q)_{2j}(q)_{i-2j}} + \sum_{i,j \geq 0} \frac{x^iq^{(i-j)^2 + j^2+3j+1}}{(-q)_i(q)_{2j+1}(q)_{i-2j-1}}. \end{aligned} \] In the last part of the paper the author discusses connections between the parity indices and some important \(q\)-series. If \(R_e(N,r,m,n)\) denotes the number of partitions of \(n\) having upper even parity index \(r\) and \(m\) distinct parts, each larger than \(r\) and at most \(2N\), then \[ \sum_{r,m,n \geq 0} R_e(N,r,m,n)y^rx^mq^n = \sum_{j=0}^N \begin{bmatrix} N \\ j \end{bmatrix}_{q^2} q^{j^2}x^j(-yq)_j. \] Letting \(N \to \infty\) and choosing \(x = 1\) or \(q\) and \(y=\pm 1\) yields the \(q\)-series occurring in the Rogers-Ramanujan identities as well as two of Ramanujan's fifth order mock theta functions. The author also gives an alternative proof of an identity involving one of the mock theta functions using the little \(q\)-Jacobi polynomials. The paper ends with a discussion of some impressive recent work of K. Kurşungöz and a list of fifteen open problems.