Generalized binomial coefficients for molecular species (Q1584648)

We associate a polynomial in a complex variable \(\zeta\), denoted by \({M\choose N}_\zeta\), to any two molecular species \(M=M(X)\) and \(N=N(X)\) by means of \[ M(\zeta+X)=\sum_N {M\choose N}_\zeta N(X). \] In the special case \(M=X^m\), \(N=X^n\) we have \({M\choose N}_\zeta= {m\choose n}\zeta^{m-n}\). The authors consider solutions \(\Phi\) of combinatorial equations of the form \(M(\Phi)=\Psi\), where \(M\) is molecular and \(\Psi\) a given species. A typical result is Corollary 4.6: For each \(m\geq 1\), the species \(X\) of singletons has exactly one symmetric \(m\)th root.