Combinatoire des polynômes orthogonaux classiques: Une approche unifiée. (Combinatorics of classical orthogonal polynomials: A unified approach) (Q1813225)

The author gives a unified approach to the combinatorial interpretation of identities involving the classical orthogonal polynomials: those of Gegenbauer, Chebyshev (first and second kind), Legendre, Laguerre, Charlier, Hermite, Krawtchouk, and Meixner (first and second kind). The objects which are counted are appropriately weighted schools of octopi. An octopus is a connected directed graph with a single cycle and the property that any path eventually enters this cycle. This approach is based on earlier work of Foata, Kreweras, Labelle, Leroux, and Strehl.